The club warned that it could cut off donations to the party amounting to £1m.Sir Peter Emery, a former MP and chairman of the London club’s political committee, said he was “more than surprised” by Mr Duncan Smith’s decision since the club had given large sums to the party. “I would have thought Mr Duncan Smith would have wanted that to continue,” he said.There are suggestions that the Conservatives are suffering serious cash problems, although the party has denied that its auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, have refused to sign off its accounts.. Powergen was accused yesterday of burying an announcement that household gas prices are to rise by an average of 8.9 per cent, by releasing the news at Christmas. MoneynetenergyprovidersearchPowergen was accused yesterday of burying an announcement that household gas prices are to rise by an average of 8.9 per cent, by releasing the news at Christmas.
The increase means Powergen’s 900,000 residential and small business customers will pay almost £24 extra on an average annual bill. The company said the decision was the result of a steep rise in wholesale gas costs over the past two years. Pensioners will have their bills frozen until March when Powergen will decide how much more they will pay.British Gas said this month that it was increasing gas bills by 5.3 per cent.The announcement by Powergen was criticised by Energywatch, the industry’s watchdog.

Its chief executive, Stephen Reid, said: “At this time of year, people have other things to do with their lives. We are disappointed that the company has increased prices in the middle of winter by such a large amount and failed to publicise the price increase more widely.” He also questioned the justification. “Some energy companies tell us that there is no need for these price rises. Consumers should add gas to their New Year sales shopping list to see if they are getting the best possible deal.”Nick Horler, the managing director of Powergen Retail, said: “Powergen’s gas prices have been among the lowest since we entered the market. Despite being forced to raise prices, our tariffs remain extremely competitive. We’re committed to giving customers good value.”The rise means that the annual domestic gas bill, including VAT, for those paying quarterly will increase on average by 8.7 per cent, from £268 to £291. For those on a monthly direct debit, the bill will go from £258 to £281, a rise of 9.1 per cent, while customers using pre-paid meters will see an average 8.8 per cent annual increase, from £219 to £238.

The changes will not take effect until after customers’ next meter reading.Powergen said customers on its age concern tariff, a package which includes cold weather payments for people aged 60 and over, would not be affected immediately. However, a spokeswoman said a rise was likely from 1 March and an increase of 8.9 per cent could not be ruled out.Powergen said that even with the rise, its customers paid a yearly average of £56 less than those with British Gas.. The daughter of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic yesterday denied charges that she had endangered others by firing a pistol when he was arrested in April. “I emptied my pistol out of despair.”Prosecutors say she opened fire when government officials came to take her father to prison to face corruption charges.