EU politicians reached a political deal on Thursday on the £ 42bn (€ 5bn) Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), paving the way for a first payment by December .

Eurocrats say the focus is on the countries and sectors most affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and includes cash for customs, sanitary, phytosanitary and security controls.

The European Commission said Ireland would be “by far” the largest recipient in absolute terms, followed by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium.

But French officials have been outraged that Ireland receives the most funds, especially with many French fishermen struggling to survive.

As part of the deal reached by EU politicians, a first tranche of € 1.6 billion in pre-financing will be available by December 2021.

Two other pre-financing installments of 1.6 billion euros will be paid in early 2022 and 2023 while the remaining billion euros will be paid in 2025.

A Parisian source added: “We have constantly called on France to obtain a significant share of the funds.

“Our fishermen are seriously affected by Brexit because the British do not issue the necessary licenses, some even struggling to make a living.

“We think this is a slight snub from Brussels, we expected to be higher in the order of priority.”

It is the latest move after fishermen in Boulogne and Calais complained about the UK government’s lack of Channel fishing licenses, a claim the UK government denies.

Last night, the European Commission said three factors will be used to calculate how much money each EU country will receive from RAB.

These include the importance of trade with the UK, the importance of fishing in the UK’s exclusive economic zone and the people living in the UK border sea areas.

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The UK wants to sign a multi-country trade deal with East African countries that could be worth at least £ 1 billion.

The Africa Trade Commissioner said the UK will forge closer ties with African countries in the years to come following a landmark deal signed with Kenya.

The UK signed a trade agreement with Kenya in December 2020 to ensure that all businesses operating in Kenya can continue to enjoy duty-free access to the UK market, but this agreement will be extended to members of the Community from East Africa.

The SNP demanded that the UK government publish details of the protections promised to UK farmers and food standards in the UK-Australia trade deal.

MP Deidre Brock challenged UK government ministers to define such guarantees, but was told MPs would get “details as they emerge during this year”.

It comes as Sustain, which represents more than 100 food and agriculture organizations, warned: “Regulatory alignment with Australia would endanger the UK’s precautionary approach on products such as pesticides, and could potentially lower the standard of nutrition information on food packaging. . “