We hold power to account. Our journalists investigate, interrogate and report without fear or favour. | | More than four million people have been stripped of the right to vote after local elections for this May were cancelled |  | Pieter Snepvangers Political Reporter | If you are Sir Keir Starmer, the rationale for cancelling May’s local elections is clear. With leadership rivals circling and ready to strike if Labour performs badly, what better solution than simply to have no elections at all?
However, the Government’s decision to axe elections for 29 councils – which rose to 30 yesterday – and deny 4.6 million people the right to vote on May 7, is proving to be far from simple.
It’s not just a judicial review the Government has to consider; it faces mutiny from councillors who plan to launch a string of resignations that will force by-elections to take place, granting residents the right to vote through the back door.
In Norfolk, one of Britain’s biggest councils, four councillors have already stood down, having timed their resignations so their by-elections are expected to take place on May 7. The Telegraph understands other councillors are considering doing the same.
Meanwhile, Labour was forced into yet another about-turn yesterday, as it decided to scrap elections in Pendle, Lancashire. Ministers were accused of “running around like headless chickens” after they had told the borough council – only last week – that the election would go ahead.
To round things off, the Labour leader of Welwyn Hatfield council stood down citing “different perspectives” over the local government reorganisation.
Last night, the Tories said Labour’s plans were “descending into farce”. It’s hard to disagree.
Read the full story here ➤ |  | Roland Oliphant Chief Foreign Analyst | For four years, no one has managed to stop the fighting in Ukraine, even for a day.
Now, Donald Trump says he has brokered a partial, temporary truce. Could it be the first step to a lasting peace?
Vladimir Putin, Trump claims, has agreed to stop bombing Ukrainian cities and infrastructure targets for one week. Ukraine, presumably, will be expected to stop its retaliatory strikes on Russian power stations and oil refineries.
A ceasefire would be an immense relief to the millions of Ukrainians who Russia has been trying to freeze into submission this winter.
It will also raise hopes of a breakthrough at US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. However, previous attempts to broker ceasefires have collapsed before they even came into force, and Putin shows no sign of compromising on the big issues that could lead to a lasting peace.
In the context of a bloody war without any meaningful peace progress, such a truce would be a landmark.
If it happens – and more importantly, holds – Trump will at long last be able to point to genuine progress from his hitherto fruitless peace-making efforts.
Read Roland’s analysis here ➤
Plus, the full story, as it happened ➤ | | Judith Woods Uninspired young people plagued by worklessness are proof that welfare reform must begin by reducing dependency Continue reading ➤ Sketch by Tim Stanley Sir Keir channels Alan Partridge on latest leg of world tour Continue reading ➤ Ruth Millington AI slop is stealing from real artists. Turner and Constable can’t be replicated in seconds Continue reading ➤ | | For the latest headlines all day, sign up to From the Editor PM here for an early-evening briefing. | | The US aircraft, seen here at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk yesterday, can detect radioactive particles in the atmosphere | | Vincent Amen appears in a new four-part Channel 4 documentary, Michael Jackson: The Trial, on Feb 2 | | Was Michael Jackson a paedophile? One of his close associates during the 2005 trial that nearly brought the singer down now says he’s certain Jackson was a child abuser and that a close friend was abused by him. Chris Harvey has the full story. Continue reading ➤ | | | Pilot Mark Brown now works just three weeks out of four, and uses the extra time to help his partner Denisa run her business | | For Mark Brown, a commercial pilot, getting a pay rise “felt like a gut punch”. He had fallen foul of a “bonkers” tax trap and was giving away more than he was getting, paying 60 pence in the pound. Five years ago, he decided that the extra slice of income just wasn’t worth it and reduced his hours by 25 per cent. The worrying truth? Frozen tax thresholds will leave 2.3 million people facing this decision by 2029. Continue reading ➤ | | | Today, a feature-length documentary devoted to Melania Trump, America’s First Lady, will be available to watch in cinemas around the world. However, Marianka Swain questions if anyone actually wants to see it, and if Jeff Bezos, the man who paid $40 million for it, actually cares. Continue reading ➤ | | | The Tomb of Ashot the Great is located at Ardanuc Castle | | The past is an irrepressible thing, and it refuses to stay hidden. Over the course of the last year alone, archaeologists, historians and even amateur metal-detectorists have uncovered everything from lost royal tombs to ship-wreck treasures. Here are 10 of the most exciting recent findings (with details on how to see them). Continue reading ➤ | | | Dr Justin Garcia is the executive director of the world-renowned Kinsey Institute, the “Mecca for sex research”. For his new book The Intimate Animal, he interviewed hundreds of couples and singles to find out the science of what makes relationships work. Did you know, for instance, that some people are genetically wired towards infidelity? We asked Telegraph readers to submit their own personal dilemmas to Dr Garcia – read Lucy Denyer’s interview to hear the expert’s answers on all things love, lust and longing. Continue reading ➤ | | | Want to curb inflammation and lose fat for good? The ‘Zone Diet’ is a long-term meal plan with a 40:30:30 split of carbohydrates (mostly from fruit and vegetables), protein, and healthy fats. This golden ratio, its creator argues, keeps blood sugar steady and switches off hunger. Here’s what nutritionists think – and how to get started. Continue reading ➤ | | Sarah Knapton, our Science Editor, and Joe Pinkstone, our Science Correspondent, are back to demystify your supernatural experiences. From ghoulish encounters to bizarre coincidences, there’s always a scientific explanation and nothing is as strange as it seems...
Yesterday we brought you the haunting story that the NHS had called in “deliverance ministers” – exorcists to you and me – following complaints of ghostly goings-on from staff at a hospice in Norwich.
Workers at the former Priscilla Bacon Lodge, near Colman Hospital, reported “upsetting paranormal incidents” which included the spectre of a “small child in a red dress”. The tale clearly struck a chord with our readers and you piled into the comments section, so we deployed our crack team of Sarah Knapton and Joe Pinkstone to investigate.
Sarah and Joe give their verdict...
Psychologists believe that “magical thinking” – which includes paranormal beliefs, superstitions and conspiracy theories – increases during periods of uncertainty, when people feel vulnerable and out of control.
Such thinking must be all the more acute in a hospice, where death is the expected outcome and is therefore constantly on the minds of patients, staff and visitors. It is no surprise, then, that hospices and hospitals are notorious sites for hauntings.
Read the full answer here ➤
Plus, send in your questions for Sarah and Joe here ➤ | Grand designs Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
There has been a strong response to The Telegraph’s magnificently illustrated article on architectural standards in Britain. Has this country given up on beauty? As someone with a soft spot for Georgian houses – if not the budget for one – I confess to wandering down some of our high streets making uncharitable remarks about modern town planners. Yet I concede that the fate of sash windows may not be the most pressing concern in the world right now.
Many readers agreed that there has been a decline. Stephen Evans wrote: “It’s not just Georgian architecture, we love the later Regency terraces that adorn Leamington Spa. However, there is evidence of so many beautiful old buildings having been pulled down in the 1960s, to be replaced by hideous flats.”
Roger Kendall contended: “The reason historic buildings were beautiful is that they were built by master builders proud of their craft, not architects who wanted to seem clever.”
Alan Newland added: “I’ve just returned from Gdansk in Poland, where over 90 per cent of buildings were destroyed in the Second World War. Not that you would know it: the city is a beautiful reconstruction of its Hanseatic League splendour. I live near Gloucester, which should be a beautiful city of Tudor and Georgian buildings, but it’s an architectural dump. Our towns and cities are guilty of shameful civic irresponsibility.”
I’ve never been to Gloucester, but I have been to Gdansk, and it is remarkable. The same is true of Warsaw’s old (or not so old) town. Other readers were more forgiving: “My husband and I both grew up in tiny modern boxes,” commented one. “Nice enough, really, if you have a happy family. However, we now live in a Georgian townhouse. It took endless hard work to afford it, but it was worth every penny.”
Another was less sold on the Georgian dream: “They are beautiful homes but very narrow and expensive. There is zero chance I would live in one.” Andy Jack added: “I was born in a 1950s bungalow with a bedroom and bathroom downstairs. It later had dormer bedrooms added, and a small loo and sink. It has a certain retro charm and it is practical.” What do you think? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, for which you can sign up here.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was ELECTRODE. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | | Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here.
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow.
Chris Evans, Editor | |
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