The Tories are trying to pass off EU policies as their own ideas

The Conservatives have made a rather large show of the fact they are planning to outlaw extra charges on credit and debit cards that are added to payments for goods and services.

The surcharges for credit card tax bills and for goods and services will be stopped from 13 January. Many businesses and organisations also charge people to make card payments - these new rules would bring an end to that practice entirely.

Stephen Barclay, the economic secretary to the Treasury, said:

Rip-off charges have no place in a modern Britain, and that’s why card charging in Britain is about to come to an end.

This is about fairness and transparency.

The government also paraded the policy on Twitter:

What they omit is that the law comes from an EU directive, which has already been incorporated into UK law, following a vote in parliament in March.

The law will apply to companies across EU member states.

It will remain law after March 2019, when the UK leaves the EU, and as the Conservatives would likely argue, is a policy of the party on the basis that they will omit to repeal it.

However, others remain less than convinced by the Conservatives' claiming of the law as a party triumph:

Co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion, told indy100:

The Tories are clearly taking the silly season to heart.

To claim this EU policy as their own really is shamelessness of the highest order from a Government that’s dragging this country away from the body of EU rules that benefit Britons.

If Tory ministers hadn’t spent years spreading myths about the EU and pretending it only does harm then maybe we wouldn’t be in this enormous mess.

To now claim EU rules as of their own making really does insult to injury.

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