The EU's leadership is threatening to take Britain to court over two road and rail policies, in a new headache for the Government ahead of the referendum on membership.
The European Commission said that a toll introduced in 2014 by Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary designed to help British businesses by hitting foreign HGV drivers with levies is discriminatory against foreign drivers, and therefore in breach of EU law.
In a second case, the EU said that Britain had failed to copy a directive opening up the railway markets to EU companies into law. A Foreign Office source said these were ?minor changes to technical rules? that were already being followed in practice.
The HGV levy was announced in 2014, and described by Mr McLoughlin as a "massive boost" to British hauliers under pressure from foreign rivals.
All lorries are charged up to ?10 a day to use the roads. But this is then discounted from vehicle excise duty, meaning that in effect British-registered drivers are no worse off.
It raises ?44 million a year, but the EU says such schemes are discriminatory and a breach of rules on the single market.
Britain has two months to reply or be hit with further action, that could result in a case before the European Court of Justice, which has the power to levy fines.
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