The European parliament voted today to scrap Britain's fiercely guarded opt-out from the EU's 48-hour maximum work week, reopening a long-running ideological battle with London.
The legislature voted by 378 to 262 with 15 abstentions to tighten rules on working time in the name of health and safety, and phase out the opt-out over three years.
Member states must approve the final version in the EU Council by a qualified majority, so Britain will need to put together a blocking minority of several countries to preserve the opt-out.
It hopes for support from new former communist countries from eastern Europe who oppose stricter labour laws.