Storm Desmond EU flood relief fund money will be used to pay £15m EU fine

A £15m grant from the EU's flood recovery fund to help repair the damage caused by Storm Desmond in 2015 will be used to pay a £15m fine from the last time the UK got a payout from the fund rather than helping the storm's victims.

The UK rarely draws down on any disaster funds because as one of the few net contributors to the EU budget we have to pay a big chunk of whatever we're give ourselves making it easier and cheaper to just spend our own money ourselves rather than launder it through the EU. However, the Tories decided to use the fund for the 2015 storm and were granted £15m but because Labour misspent money from the same fund the last time it was used in 2007, the whole lot is going to pay the £15m fine the British government has been given for misspending the funds.

The Labour and Lib Dem politicians who kicked up a big fuss about the British government not wanting to apply for the grant are all strangely quiet over this.