Dave has got his deal, with the EU budget facing a real-terms cut. As seems to be the way nowadays, it was announced on Twitter:
Deal done! #euco has agreed on #MFF for the rest of the decade. Worth waiting for.
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 8, 2013
Secretive European Parliament president and Labour ally Martin Schulz is livid – saying the deal has been done according to the “lowest common denominator” – which must be a good thing. Britain’s contribution is still going to rise, however. We await the details…
UPDATE: It is worth remembering that this is hardly a win for the British taxpayer:
Clearly a huge victory for David Cameron: looks like he's managed to increase the UK contributions!
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) February 8, 2013