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Barometer

Just what Tom Watson needs: a Bananarama tribute band

Plus: how dangerous is rugby?; how expensive is nuclear power?

26 September 2015

8:00 AM

26 September 2015

8:00 AM

Available for parties

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said that leaving his party to join the Liberal Democrats would be like ‘leaving the Beatles to join a Bananarama tribute band’. Is there such a thing? Bananaruma is a Leicester-based band led by the head of arts at a local secondary school. They advertise an hour-long show, for which they bring their own professional PA system with full lighting show. So far they have had one booking, at the Stamford Arms in Groby on 25 July. Tickets cost £20, including a three-course meal, with a bottle of bubbly thrown in for tables of six who booked before 1 July.

Sporting chances

The chief medical officer for World Rugby suggested that the game’s rules might have to be changed to reduce the risk of serious injury. How dangerous is rugby compared with other sports?

Catastrophic injuries per 100,000 participants per season (US)

Rugby Union 3.3
Gymnastics 1.7
Ice hockey 1.7
American football 0.98
Wrestling 0.62
Baseball 0.28
Swimming 0.16
Soccer 0.12

Source: Centre for Sports Medicine, University of Nottingham

Places of escape


The Home Office said that councils must find self-contained housing for Syrian refugees, preventing people putting them up in their spare rooms. Where do asylum-seekers currently live?

London and south-east

2,535

Midlands and east 5,433
Wales, south-west 1,791
North-east, Yorkshire, Humber 4,965
North-west 5,903
Scotland, Northern Ireland 2,898

Source: Home Office

The price of power

The government agreed to underwrite the planned Hinkley C nuclear power station to the tune of £20 billion. It has already guaranteed that the operator, EDF, will receive £89.50 per MWh. How does this compare with the cost per MWh of generating electricity by other means?

Combined cycle gas turbine

£80

Onshore wind £101
Biomass £108
Offshore wind £113
Large scale solar £158

Source: DECC

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