News that Tony Blair may give up part of the UK's EU rebate in an effort to secure a budget deal has provoked widespread condemnation in the British press.
The Daily Mail led the critics, headlining its front page story "The Great Betrayal" of the rebate won by Margaret Thatcher in 1984.
In an editorial it attacked Mr Blair for "capitulation dressed up as principle".
It added: "Desperate to establish his legacy, he yearns for a deal before he ends his undistinguished EU presidency next month. And we pay the price of his vanity."
'White flag'
This theme was picked up by The Daily Telegraph, which said Mr Blair was a "lame duck anxious about his political legacy".
"Tony Blair is in a fantastic position to push through changes which will help Make Poverty History"
"From the beginning of the British presidency, the Prime Minister should have challenged the French by demanding specific CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] reforms in return for reducing the rebate. Lack of courage on that score has now been compounded by the leaking earlier this week of his proposals for cutting aid the Eastern Europe. The search for a budget deal has become a fiasco," the paper said in an editorial.
The Sun accused Mr Blair of "waving the white flag" on the rebate.
Its report began: "Tony Blair last night caved in and started handing back hard-won taxpayers' cash to Brussels."
The Guardian was more circumspect, headlining its report "Blair accused of a sell-out over EU rebate deal".
The newspaper said the new deal "amounted to an admission that the six-month UK presidency of the European council of ministers will end on 1 January without the breakthrough on reducing EU farm subsidies".
'Defeat'
Both the Daily Express and The Financial Times talked of "surrender", with the FT calculating the new deal could cost British taxpayers an extra £1bn a year.
The Independent said Mr Blair had "admitted defeat" in his battle to reform the CAP.
It said reducing the value of Britain's annual rebate was a "significant climbdown" but presented the only hope of a deal against France's steadfast refusal to accept changes to farm spending up to 2013.
The Daily Mirror was more supportive, saying reform of the Common Agricultural Policy was more important than clinging on to the UK's rebate, because cutting farm subsidies would help Africa.
"Tony Blair is in a fantastic position to push through changes which will help Make Poverty History," the paper said.
It added: "Mr Blair could now conclude this astonishing year by doing a deal that would reform the CAP and save countless lives."
In its editorial, The Times said: "The admission that the current budget system is too favourable to Britain is a dramatic U-turn for the government, which had previously maintained that the rebate remains fully justified by the fact that the UK gets so little from farm subsidies."
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