Okay guys I believe I have found the problem, and you can laugh at me all you want for it, one of my less brainy moves
There was a slight vacuum leak where the carb attaches to the manifold. I didn't buy enough gaskets by accident so I thought maybe I could stoop low enough to use gasket goo, instead of making the trip down to buy another one. I must have been otherwise occupied when I put the goo on coz I used the wrong stuff (gasket assister not gasket maker) coz I couldn't find the gasket maker. Didn't think much of it at the time but of course it ain't gonna seal! When I was taking the carb off I realised immediately my stupid mistake and punched myself....
Also the throttle spindle is a bit worn so I'll replace that also (possibly explains crackling exhaust on deceleration).
So needles didn't fix the problem, although I could probably has concealed the problem with a rich midrange needle but that wouldn't have fixed it as such.
Cheers,
Anto.