Sebastian Vettel secures eighth pole of the season in US Grand Prix

The Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel secured his eighth pole position of the season for the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Photograph: Mike Stone/Reuters

Sebastian Vettel, with a late run, won his eighth pole of the season and the 44th of his career for Sunday's US Grand Prix.

His team-mate at Red Bull, Mark Webber, looked set to pull off his third pole in four races, but will start on the front row with Vettel.

It was a good way for team principal Christian Horner to celebrate his 40th birthday.

Romain Grosjean will start third in his Lotus, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez, who once again qualified ahead of his team-mate, Jenson Button.

Paul di Resta, who looks increasingly unlikely to keep hold of his Force India seat for next year, failed to make the top 10, as did Button and Felipe Massa.

England's Joe Hart in last-chance saloon against Germany at Wembley

Manchester City's Joe Hart, right, will be playing for his England place when he lines up against Germany at Wembley. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Joe Hart will start in goal for England against Germany on Tuesday with his international career on the line. Roy Hodgson has made it clear that while he retains confidence in a player who has already lost his place at Manchester City, there is no room for any more mistakes.

"All I can do is give Joe the shirt and give him the chance to go out and play," Hodgson said. "Afterwards he is going to have to face whatever he faces, but Joe is an experienced player – he understands that.

"If he plays well and does well, and keeps a clean sheet and helps us to win the game, then I'm sure people are going to be saying some very good things about him. But if he doesn't, and lets a couple of easy goals in, he's going to have to accept that there'll be criticism, because that's the way of the world we live in. I can't change things for players in that respect. We've had plenty of pats on the back recently, but we all know that, unfortunately, this game of football also gives you slaps in the face."

Hodgson accepts that Hart is under a certain amount of personal pressure after his highly public loss of form but has resisted the temptation to take him to one side and spell out the precariousness of his position. "Any time any player pulls on an England shirt he is in for a tough mental test and a tough test of attitude," he said. "As an experienced player, Joe knows the way of the world. He understands that if he loses his place in the Manchester City team, and is criticised for letting a couple of goals in, then what happens will happen.

"I don't need to take him aside and say: 'Joe, this is what happens in football.' I've got too much respect for him as a professional and as a man to do that. I always try to tell players things they haven't talked about, but I won't try and teach them to suck eggs."

In addition to Hart, Hodgson will also have Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka and Daniel Sturridge back for the Germany game – but not Phil Jones, who was ruled out on Saturday by a groin injury after undergoing a scan. Steven Gerrard, who is undergoing painkilling injections to counter a hip injury, is also a doubt.

But Hodgson has no qualms about using Wayne Rooney for another 90 minutes if necessary. "If he's fit, Wayne will start the game," Hodgson said. "He had to play as a lone striker against Chile because of the options we had, but we should have a few players back in the forward areas for Germany. Whether he plays for the whole 90 is another matter, but the good thing with Wayne is that he always wants to. He thrives on playing and I am under no pressure from anyone, either here or at his club, to reduce his playing time in friendly matches."

Germany are without Sami Khedira. The midfielder could miss the World Cup as he faces up to six months out after tearing cruciate ligaments in his knee in the 1-1 friendly draw with Italy in Milan on Friday. Joachim Löw said he would also travel to London without Philipp Lahm, the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Arsenal's Mesut Özil in order to give other players an opportunity.

Stuart Lancaster: 'England are definitely moving in right direction'

England's Tom Wood wins a lineout against New Zealand at Twickenham but summed up the game later by saying: 'We blew it.' Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

Stuart Lancaster feels his team are on the right course two years out from the World Cup after recovering from an early 14-point deficit to shake a New Zealand team that are unbeaten this year.

England, the 2015 World Cup hosts, were leading with 17 minutes to go before the All Blacks conjured their third try of the afternoon to extend a remarkable run of results since August 2011 when the only match they have lost in 34 was at Twickenham last year.

"We do not talk in those terms," said , the England head coach, when asked if he felt his team was on track to win the World Cup. "We talk about belief and building a team and we are definitely moving in the right direction and being the best we can be when the tournament comes around.

"We were sixth in the world when we started [last year] and now we are third, pushing second, where I think we should be. That was the stated aim by the end of this season. We've got the Six Nations to go, a summer tour to New Zealand and if we keep progressing that should be achievable."

The England flanker Tom Wood said the reaction in the dressing room to the eight-point defeat was one of deflated disappointment, not satisfaction at running very close the team that has held the No1 spot in the world rankings for exactly four years.

"The defeat is difficult to stomach," he said. "We have been told to keep our chins up having battled hard and coming close to beating the world champions, but we did not come here to be brave losers or runners-up. I felt we had them midway through the second half and then a few little things went against us and we blew it.

"It has been a positive autumn overall with wins over Australia and Argentina, but it was a disappointing way to finish because we let victory slip away having given them a 14-point start. We have got six Lions to come back into the side and strengthen it for the Six Nations and we have always believed we can live with the best. We are not getting ahead of ourselves: we are a combative team that just needs some gloss and finishing touches."

The New Zealand captain Richie McCaw said he expected England to be a major threat when the All Blacks start their defence of the World Cup in 22 months.

"England played very well and they had the momentum for a while," said McCaw. "There is not much between the top nations in the world and it is all about not standing still. We all have to be better in two years."

New Zealand's fly-half Daniel Carter won his 100th cap, but lasted only 26 minutes before succumbing to an achilles' tendon injury. He is unlikely to play against Ireland in Dublin next Sunday, after which he starts a six-month sabbatical, as his side looks to become the first side to go through a calendar year with a 100% record for the first time in the professional era.

Energy firms receive £1bn for green measures before they are carried out

Under the Energy Companies Obligation, firms pay for solid and cavity wall insulation for some properties. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The big six energy companies have come under fire again as it was revealed they have taken £1bn from their customers while completing a fraction of the thousands of green and social measures they are required to carry out.

Figures from the regulator Ofgem showed that the companies had achieved as little as 3% of the measures to be carried out under one section of the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO), by which they are supposed to pay for solid and cavity wall insulation, particularly for people on low incomes or with hard-to-insulate properties. Companies had achieved 16% of what they needed to do to help rural areas and put in district heating systems, and 25% of the target on measures that reduce the overall cost of home heating for low-income and vulnerable households, including new boilers.

These figures come as the scheme is more than halfway through, as the full complement of measures must be installed by March 2015. Energy companies want the government to extend the deadline, because on current rates they cannot meet it. But while the companies have made slow progress on their targets, they have carried on adding a charge for ECO to customer bills. This has netted them about £1bn so far, according to separate research by the Local Government Association. By the end of the current ECO period, in March 2015, the energy companies will have collected £1.625bn towards ECO, according to the LGA.

The LGA also calculates that of the £2.1bn that should have been delivered by now in savings on bills to fuel-poor consumers through the insulation measures, only about £1bn of savings are being made. This is leaving tens of thousands of fuel-poor households with cold houses this winter.

Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, said: "They have collected £1bn and spent a small proportion of it. This is cynical price-gouging by the big energy companies. We are discussing social obligations here, not a green tax. These companies are blaming ECO for rising energy bills, but they haven't been carrying out [the number of installations needed]."

The ECO has become the focus of the debate over energy bills, as one of the targets for David Cameron's pledge to "roll back" some of the additions to bills that pay for green and energy efficiency measures. Several energy companies have suggested transferring the ECO, which is currently paid for by them through extra charges to bills, to be paid for from general taxation. But the Treasury is reluctant to find the £1.3bn necessary to fund the scheme, so it could be scaled back or its future thrown into doubt.

Mike Jones, chairman of the LGA's environment and housing board, said: "The ECO is there to give vulnerable people warmer homes which cost less to heat. The energy companies have collected more than £1bn from our fuel bills and we don't think the measures are being rolled out fast enough."

Warren pointed out that the Treasury already gains billions from another so-called green tax, the carbon floor price, by which businesses pay a guaranteed price for their carbon emissions. The floor price has been criticised, however, for not saving carbon because the overall carbon cap is set not by the UK but under the European emissions trading scheme.

Warren said it was wrong to attack measures aimed at helping consumers, particularly those on low incomes. He said: "The big companies are telling lies and lies. These guys are playing games with people's lives, because that's what cold homes mean."

Ofgem will not break down the performance on ECO by individual company until later this year, but in a previous breakdown based on figures this summer, Centrica had achieved less than a tenth of its targets, while Eon was out in front with about three-quarters of its installations achieved.

Angela Knight, chief executive of Energy UK, which represents energy companies, said the charges to cover the ECO had been added to bills in advance in order to avoid "a big bounce" in bills at a future date. She added there had been a slow start to the ECO as there was a hiatus between the end of the old scheme and the start of ECO, and that many companies might have entered into agreement with subcontractors to carry out the work. "Unfortunately, there is no easy option," she said. "You can bounce bills around or you can try to spread the price more evenly. Companies have to spread this over the period."

She said Energy UK did not take a view on whether ECO should be paid for from general taxation, as that was a matter for politicians to decide.

But Warren said the large difference between the best and worst performers suggested these were not the only explanations: "If Eon can do it, why can't the others? EDF have been trying to blackmail the government."

Don Lieper, director of new business at Eon, said: "We take this very seriously – it is a legal requirement. We are very proud of what we have done – it hasn't been easy, but we have been helping vulnerable customers." By the end of August, the company had spent £130m of the projected £400m it expects to spend on ECO.

Npower said it was moving faster on ECO and would be able to report better progress soon. Scottish Power said it had now signed contracts with installers for 70% of its target. Scottish and Southern Energy said: "These Ofgem figures are two months behind the current position. Since then, SSE has significantly ramped up the number of measures completed and we are confident we will achieve delivery by the end of March 2015.

EDF increases energy prices by 3.9%

EDF boss Vincent de Rivaz said he supported social and environmental programmes, but their cost and affordability had to be challenged. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

EDF has become the latest energy company to raise prices for its customers, announcing an average price rise of 3.9% on its dual fuel tariffs and warning that more increases could come if the government does not cut fees for social and environmental work.

The firm said that from 3 January customers would see bills rise by £49 a year, to an average of £1,300, but it claimed it was "holding back rising costs" from government schemes to limit price rises.

The increase, which will also apply to customers taking just gas or electricity from EDF, is less than half those announced by rival firms including British Gas and Scottish Power, but is unlikely to be welcomed by the two-thirds of EDF's 5.8 million business and residential customers not on fixed tariffs.

EDF said it had taken action ahead of the outcome of the government's review of the costs of the Eco scheme to help vulnerable households and other green schemes, designed to bring down costs for consumers.

It said if the government made bigger changes to the costs of its social and environmental schemes than it had anticipated, it would pass those savings on to customers, but if the changes were smaller there could be further price rises.

The firm said the extra £49 on bills was made up of the following:

• £24 to meet a 9% rise in transmission and distribution costs

• £10 to meet smart-metering costs

• £6 to meet a 22% rise in the cost of meeting renewable obligations

• £1 to meet rising wholesale costs

• £8 to meet other rising costs including VAT, warm home discount, feed-in tariff

The price rise includes the removal of a 70p-a-month discount for dual fuel customers. It will be largest for customers in the south-east of England who will see bills rise by 4.3%, while in the south of Scotland bills will rise by just 2.78%.

The chief executive of EDF Energy, Vincent de Rivaz, said: "The best way to help customers is for us to keep our prices as low as possible. I know that price rises are always unwelcome, but we have taken the first step to show what can be done if rising costs are tackled head-on."

De Rivaz said he supported social and environmental programmes, but that their cost and affordability had to be challenged.

"Energy firms, politicians and consumer groups need to be part of the solution and stand on the side of customers to give them energy at an affordable price. That means operating as efficiently as possible and designing the most cost-effective social and environmental programmes," he said.

Reg Platt, senior research fellow at the thinktank IPPR said described the price rise as "simply astonishing".

He said: "They have in effect issued a threat to government saying 'cut back your policies or we'll raise our prices further'. The policy they want to cut, Eco, provides households with insulation and efficient boilers to protect them against rising energy bills.

"David Cameron has said he wants to roll back so-called 'green levies'. If this means the government is going to roll over to the energy companies and cut spending on energy efficiency policy it will be billpayers that get hurt."

The secretary of state for energy and climate, Ed Davey, has warned energy firms that they face a "Fred the Shred" moment because consumers' trust in them has broken down as it did with the banks.

Commenting on EDF's price increase, he said: "Any price rise is disappointing but I'm encouraged that EDF have kept their price rise much closer to inflation than some of their competitors.

"The competition we've introduced to the energy market means people have a choice. They can look for the best deal available; including from smaller suppliers, with the confidence that switching will make an immediate difference to their bills and force the Big Six to compete on price."

NHS competition holds up creation of specialist cancer treatment centres

Stephen Dorrell: 'Local motivation and engagement are important, but they are not more important than patients’ lives.' Photograph: Eleanor Bentall/Corbis

The government's drive to introduce more competition into the NHS is having the perverse effect of holding up the creation of world-classcancer treatment centres, the Observer can reveal.

Investigations show that individual hospitals whose roles would be downgraded under reorganisations are blocking moves to concentrate cancer services into fewer top-performing specialist centres, by claiming such mergers would be anti-competitive and would reduce patient choice.

NHS leaders, who are deeply concerned about the effect that legal disputes are having on progress, have admitted some cancer units are being allowed to carry on operating even though they do not meet the latest official guidelines on how services should best be organised.

In one case, a "rationalisation" of cancer services in and around Manchester, proposed by NHS England as a way to improve "outcomes" to world-class levels, is being challenged and held up by complaints from south Manchester NHS foundation trust and Stockport NHS foundation trust on legal grounds.

The health regulator Monitor is now involved in a detailed investigation into whether the changes contravene government regulations introduced in April this year, supposedly to widen competition and choice. The Manchester dispute is one of several affecting different aspects of healthcare across the country.

Former Tory health secretary Stephen Dorrell, who now chairs the all-party select committee on health, suggested patients' lives were at stake, and called on NHS England to drive through the improvements and make sure patient care took precedence.

Ten days ago, the outgoing chief executive of NHS England, Sir David Nicholson, made known his frustration at the way competition disputes were holding up progress and costing hospitals many millions of pounds in legal fees. He told Dorrell's select committee that "we are in my view getting bogged down in a morass of competition law, which is causing significant cost in the system".

Nicholson added that the law may need to be changed to sort out the mess. "It is causing great frustration for people in the service about making change happen. That may be because of the way in which we are interpreting the law – we are talking to Monitor – but it may be because that is the law, in which case to make integration happen we will need to change it." He said Manchester was "not the only cancer service that is not meeting guidelines".

Dorrell, whose committee is recalling Nicholson for further questioning on this and other issues, told the Observer that the interests of patients should come first. "I am in favour of engagement with local clinicians and management, and it is obviously better to proceed by agreement. If however, as is the case in cancer care, there is well-documented evidence from all over the world that more concentrated facilities deliver better patient outcomes, it is the duty of the commissioner to insist that services change to improve outcomes for patients. Local motivation and engagement are important, but they are not more important than patients' lives."

Another Tory member of the committee, Sarah Wollaston, who is a GP, said: "It is utterly perverse for any doctor to use competition legislation to try to block restrictions on their own practice where there is clear evidence that cancer surgery concentrated in specialist centres saves lives. David Nicholson should set out where this is happening and what needs to change in the legislation."

The arguments come as the government tries to tackle the immediate crisis of growing waiting times and overcrowded A&E departments. Labour is arguing that former health secretary Andrew Lansley wasted three years and billions of pounds on unnecessary and costly reforms of the NHS, introducing more competition, rather than tackling the urgent need to treat more patients outside hospital.

A spokesman for NHS England said that in order to comply with official guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, "some cancer treatment needs to be concentrated into a smaller number of providers, where clinical expertise can be consolidated".

She added that Nicholson had been making the point to the health committee that despite the improvements that such change could bring "it could be viewed as anti-competitive" by opponents.

David Cameron orders inquiry into trade union tactics

A Unite placard at the Grangemouth oil refinery. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian

David Cameron has ordered an inquiry into the tactics of trade unionsafter a bitter industrial dispute almost led to the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland.

Downing Street said the wide-ranging review, headed by Bruce Carr QC, would investigate allegations of the use of so-called leverage tactics by the unions, as well as the impact of such disputes on critical national infrastructure.

However, in a sign of renewed coalition tensions, the Liberal Democrat business secretary, Vince Cable, made clear he had only agreed to the inquiry on the basis that it would also examine the practices of employers, such as the blacklisting of workers.

The Unite union dismissed the review as a Tory election stunt and said no trade union would be prepared to collaborate with it.

There have been claims that Unite sought to intimidate executives from Ineos, the refinery's owners, including sending demonstrators to protest outside their homes and at premises associated with the Ineos chairman, Jim Ratcliffe.

In recent weeks the prime minister has repeatedly attacked the union in the Commons, challenging the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, to hold an inquiry into claims of vote-rigging in the Falkirk constituency party in an attempt to secure the selection of Unite's favoured candidate for parliament.

Unite's general secretary, Len McCluskey, has denied any intimidation or bullying on the part of the union, insisting that it acted within the law.

Carr will consider whether existing laws are sufficient to prevent what government sources described as "inappropriate or intimidatory actions" in trade disputes, as well as the response of the police to complaints.

He will look at the underlying causes of industrial relations difficulties, the potential impact on the UK's critical national infrastructure and the consequences for investor confidence in key sectors.

The review will make recommendations on the respective roles of government, employers and employee representatives in ensuring effective workforce relationships.