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The United States has launched an attack on the new Uk aviation duty, according to a report in The Sunday Times.

The criticism was made in a diplomatic note sent to the Foreign Office by the American Embassy in London last month, said the newspaper.

It said the new replacement for air-passenger duty "raises significant policy and legal issues" and asks whether the government can justify the charge when it is planning a third runway at Heathrow.

American government sources said Washington could bring a case against the UK at  the International Civil  Aviation Organisation or under the disputes procedure of last year's Open Skies agreement.