Wednesday paper round-up: Scotland independence, Phones 4U, House prices...
The funding of the NHS and the future constitution of the UK were at the centre of debate on Tuesday, as the referendum on Scottish independence edges closer.
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Labour leader Ed Miliband was in Edinburgh to argue for "more powers for a stronger Scotland as well as NHS funding guaranteed, [which has] to be weighed up against the big risks of voting yes,” reports The Guardian.
A series of polls released late on Tuesday placed the ‘no’ campaign ahead 52% to 48% but the race remained too tight to call.
The reports were, however, described as “hugely encouraging” by Blair Jenkins, chief executive for the pro-independence campaign, reports The Herald.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron said he had no regrets over the referendum arrangements and he had made the right choice by avoiding the option offering further devolution to Scotland.
"I had a choice. You either say: 'Yes, you can have that referendum, and here's a way of making it legal, decisive and fair,' or I could have taken the approach of just putting my head in the sand, and saying: 'No, you can't have a referendum'," Cameron told The Times.
If an independent Scotland was to keep the pound but walk away from its share of national debt, it would collapse within a year, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Citing a study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), The Telegraph adds reneging on its debt obligations would also freeze Scotland out of the international and European Union markets.
EE and Vodafone have entered talks with the administrators of beleaguered phone retailer Phones 4U in a bid to take over parts of the business, the Financial Times reports.
Both mobile operators opted against renewing their deals with Phones 4U, which led the phone retailer to enter administration on Monday, have held separate negotiations with the group about taking over parts of the company.
Getting a foot on the property ladder in London now requires an average salary of £51,500, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Citing new figures released from the Office For National Statistics, The Telegraph adds that the average price of a London home has exceeded the £500,000 limit for the first time ever, with the average value of a home in the capital rising by 19.1% compared to 2013.
Inflation dropped to 1.5% in August, thanks to a fall in prices of food and petrol, reports The Guardian.
According to analysts, the numbers suggest price pressures in the economy were benign, with consumer price index below the Bank of England's (BoE) 2% target, meaning the BoE is unlikely to be in a hurry to rise interest rates.