An example of the government implementing EU regulations presented as the government taking strong action via The BBC :

The government is going ahead with its plan to ban retailers from imposing excessive or surprise charges on people who pay by debit or credit card.

The plan was first announced last December following a recommendation from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Airlines, theatres and other retailers will have to make sure their card charges are clearly displayed upfront.

The government will also limit the size of the charges, so retailers and traders cannot make a profit from them.

“Traders will no longer be able to make a profit by charging the consumer for credit or debit card use above the amount it costs them to process that payment,” said Consumer Affairs Minister Norman Lamb.

Whilst presenting a dynamic government of action, unfortunately they are only doing what they are told by implementing EU rules to the same effect :

The new EU Consumer Rights Directive has been formally adopted today by Member States in the EU’s Council of Ministers. The new legislation will strengthen consumers’ rights in all 27 EU countries, particularly when shopping online. After publication in the EU’s Official Journal, governments will have two years to implement the rules at national level. Today’s approval follows an overwhelming vote to back the rules by the European Parliament on 23 June 2011 (MEMO/11/450). The European Commission put forward the proposal in October 2008 (IP/08/1474). The final agreement between Parliament and Council on the Consumer Rights Directive was brokered by EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding in June this year.

The particular detail in the Consumer Rights Directive being here :

Article 19
Fees for the use of means of payment
Member States shall prohibit traders from charging consumers, in respect of the use of a given means of payment, fees that exceed the cost borne by the trader for the use of such means.

The timing of the supposed Office of Fair Trading recommendation mentioned in the article from December last year seems to me to be just a flimsy cover to make it look as something other than being told what laws to implement, especially when you notice the date of the EU directive itself :

DIRECTIVE 2011/83/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 25 October 2011

Whilst I have nothing wrong with ending the easy gouging of customers through charging excessive fees for electronic transactions that cost bugger all, they could at least report the facts rather than presenting our government as anything other than a bunch of rubber stampers.

Article 19
Fees for the use of means of payment
Member States shall prohibit traders from charging consumers, in respect of the use of a given means of payment, fees that exceed the cost borne by the trader for the use of such means.