UK tapped for £1bn as EU blows budget

Brussels is to bill Britain £1bn extra because it's blown its 2012 budget. Brussels will pitch its demand for UK taxpayer cash - £976 million, to be exact - in late October, shortly before MEPs rubber-stamp a 7% hike in the EU's annual budget.

The move puts more pressure on the UK government's relationship with Brussels as EU spending strays, again, beyond previous estimates.