[yc1010]

UK politicians (judging by recent headlines) also want to leave the EU, or at least threatening to do so if they don't get their way.

They might like/want X but they will have to negotiate and endup with X-Y or nothing, since negotiating something as important as VAT while threatening to leave the club is politically counterproductive.

[derickr]

I don't think this law was actually pushed for by the UK. And countries like Hungary where VAT is 27% have much more to gain by it.

[glomph]

They are only threatening because the election is coming up and an anti EU party got a surprising amount of votes in the EU election (still not that many in real terms).

[jiggy2011]

Very few UK politicians want to leave the EU.