We hold power to account. Our journalists investigate, interrogate and report without fear or favour. |  | Dominic Nicholls Associate Editor (Defence) | Al Carns gets straight to the point: Britain must stop relying on the US to provide its defence.
He’s only 18 months into being an MP, having served with distinction as a Royal Marine for many years, and yet the Armed Forces minister is tipped by some as a future Labour leadership contender. | Carns was awarded the Military Cross for his service in Afghanistan | An imposing figure, tall and rangy, with close-cropped snow white hair, he is no-nonsense and straight to business. Ready? “Go for it,” he growls, granite jaw clenched.
On American military support, he warns: “For the last 50 to 60 years, we have been reliant on US security guarantees – and now, with multipolar threats facing the US, they may not be as forthright as they have in the past.”
Carns claims that “there’s a lot of people at the moment playing down this country, sowing division; quite angry, quite aggressive”.
“That’s the reason I got into this game in the first place,” he says. “To make us the most safe and secure country, but also to make sure this country is the best in Europe and one of the best countries in the world, which I believe it is.”
We are talking because there is excitement about a new branch of the mysterious world of intelligence agencies.
Carns tells me: “Everyone’s heard about MI5; Military Intelligence Five. We created it. MI6; Military Intelligence Six. We’re now recreating the Military Intelligence Service.”
He also calls on Nigel Farage to look closely at Reform UK members’ links to Russia, talks about Ukraine, the controversy around naming Stakeknife, MI5’s top spy in the IRA, and sets out the threats facing Britain and why it must stand on its own two feet to counter them.
Read the interview in full here ➤ | | For years Graham Linehan, the co-creator of the beloved TV show Father Ted, has watched as showbusiness friends and colleagues shunned him over his fierce criticism of trans rights activism. Then, last month, came perhaps the bitterest moment of all, when Ardal O’Hanlon, who played Dougal in the sitcom, gave an interview in which he declared himself “baffled” as to why Linehan had “got involved in the culture wars”. O’Hanlon added: “I haven’t seen much of him. I feel sorry for him.”
For Linehan it was nothing short of a “betrayal” by a man who, above all others, had understood his creative mind. Linehan writes a devastating riposte to O’Hanlon, published exclusively in The Telegraph. But he doesn’t stop there. “I keep a tally of every person who took the easy path and watched me twist in the wind,” he says. “Adam Buxton, Jon Ronson, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee. People who knew me…”
Read his piece in full ➤ | | Sherelle Jacobs While the insurgent party speaks to Tory England’s instincts, it has failed to capture its soul. Continue reading ➤ David Frost British greatness has nothing to do with Paddington Continue reading ➤ Ambrose Evans-Pritchard A customs union would be worthless in the post-European age Continue reading ➤ | From Westminster to Washington… Follow trusted coverage of the stories that are shaping our world. | | This year’s flu season has hit the country hard. Hospital admission rates for this time of year are their worst since at least 2011. Last week, the number of flu patients in England jumped by 55 per cent. School outbreaks are four times higher than this time last year. It is not surprising that a flu this prevalent, which arrived far earlier than usual, has led the NHS national medical director to describe a “worst-case scenario” for hospitals in England. Our new flu tracker breaks this data down, allowing you to see how bad the flu season is for your local hospital – and how it compares with a normal year.
Continue reading ➤
Children worst hit by flu surge ➤ | |  | | What is life really like in the “migrant jungle” – where residents wait in ramshackle camps around Calais for their chance to board a small boat to England? Christian Drogan, a 35-year-old builder from Rochdale, pictured above, went to France to find out. He encountered indifference from the police, and found a combination of fear and friendship among the illegal migrants. Continue reading ➤ | | | Longer work hours, staying over with “colleagues” – the signs were there. But Jessica didn’t realise her husband’s infidelity until her mother blurted it out. “I didn’t want to see that the man I loved was cheating,” says the 36-year-old mother of two. Here, she details the painful end of her marriage. Continue reading ➤ | | | A new BBC documentary, fronted by David Dimbleby, airs claims from a Guardian investigation that the British monarch’s wealth is worth more than £1bn for the first time. George Chesterton examines the sums, considering the value of everything privately owned by the King, from the Duchy of Lancaster to several Aston Martins. Continue reading ➤ | | | Sonia Haria (left) and Jessica Burrell show off their freshly boosted locks | | After years in which understated hairstyles dominated the fashion world, big hair is back. Three of our fashion journalists have been transformed by celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight, who reveals how you can achieve this glamorous new look. Continue reading ➤ | | | Wish You Were Here’s mysterious packaging opens to reveal an album comprising just five tracks | | Forget The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd’s definitive masterpiece remains Wish You Were Here, argues Neil McCormick in a piece marking the album’s 50th anniversary (and a sprawling new reissue). But behind the brilliance lay turmoil that threatened the band’s existence, with fierce battles between Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and every member considering leaving. Continue reading ➤ | | | The sight of a wicker hamper stuffed with comestibles is a wondrous thing, but the price can be eye-watering. To save a small fortune, fill a basket, crate or hatbox with items you’ve made yourself – rosemary and olive oil crackers for cheese lovers; florentines for chocoholics; limoncello for the aperitif aficionado in your life. Silvana Franco shares recipes for these and more. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more articles I hope you find helpful: - Transaction time can be the difference between a house sale being completed successfully, or collapsing. Here are five simple steps to speed up your property purchase.
- Claret is a December favourite for many – but finding a good bordeaux isn’t as simple as it once was. Victoria Moore, our Wine Correspondent, has put together a list of the best.
| | Chumisa Dornford-May plays a soulful Cinders in Into the Woods | Theatre Into The Woods ★★★★☆ London was set to stage a major revival of the late Stephen Sondheim’s fairytale musical in 2022. But Terry Gilliam’s production was scrapped by the Old Vic after an in-house mutiny (reportedly prompted by remarks the director had made in interviews), and ended up being staged in Bath instead. The honour now falls to another American director, the Olivier Award-winner Jordan Fein, whose beautiful production for the Bridge Theatre makes a classy alternative to panto and is richly detailed enough to outlive the festive season.
Read Dominic Cavendish’s verdict here ➤ Television Man vs Baby ★★★★☆ It is unlikely that anyone was clamouring for a sequel to Man vs Bee, the amiable 2022 physical comedy in which Rowan Atkinson’s sad-sack Trevor Bingley did battle with the titular insect and trashed a billionaire’s home. It was nice, mildly amusing, pleasingly Bean-y. However, Atkinson and co-writer William Davies have retooled the premise for Man vs Baby and, in the process, created the most unexpectedly lovely winter warmer. On Netflix now.
Read the full review from Chris Bennion here ➤ Film Fackham Hall ★☆☆☆☆ If you felt Downton Abbey needed more flatulence and pratfalls, welcome to Fackham Hall. Devised by the comedian Jimmy Carr with his brother Patrick, this feeble comedy is an attempt to give the upstairs-downstairs genre a Naked Gun of its own. It went down quite well with American critics last week, but to the home crowd (or at least this member of it), it proved about as funny as a parking ticket. In cinemas now.
Read Robbie Collin’s review here ➤ | Fashion faux pas 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...
I would never claim to be the world’s – or the country’s, or even my own household’s – sharpest dresser. Still, at least I can hold my head high and say that my sartorial choices have never resulted in a disciplinary procedure. To judge by a recent series of letters, there was a time when I might not have got off so lightly.
Writing on the theme of workplace dress codes, Les Curtis told how, “when I started my career with the Midland Bank, suits and ties were de rigueur for men. The suits had to be dark, and ties conservative. One day a young colleague arrived wearing a multicoloured tie. He was summoned to the office of the manager, who had a pair of scissors. The manager cut the tie in two, saying: ‘Here is a pound – go and buy a decent tie from the local shop.’”
Nigel Lines responded: “I enjoyed a 46-year career in banking. In my late twenties, I had the opportunity to work in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before flying out, I bought several crisp, white, short-sleeved shirts to wear beneath my suit jacket, in anticipation of the higher temperatures. The first time I removed my jacket at work, however, I was summoned to the manager’s office to be told that short-sleeved shirts were not to be worn for two reasons. First, they looked unprofessional, and secondly, you couldn’t wear cufflinks with them. I wore cufflinks every day until I retired.”
Alun Harvey added: “During my first job in the early 1970s, one trendy young executive arrived at the office wearing a smart double-breasted blazer instead of a suit. His manager’s immediate response was: ‘Where did you moor your yacht?’”
Rosemary Rowley-Wootton recalled: “As an office junior, I proudly arrived one morning in my new hot pants suit. Comments galore ensued. I was summoned to the manager’s office, where he explained that one of the directors had noticed and deemed my outfit unsuitable. A true gentleman, he drove me home and waited outside while I changed into a very demure dress. Many years later, he confessed that he had preferred my original outfit.” We haven’t even touched on Christmas jumpers yet... Send your tales of the office fashion police here, and my favourites 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. | |
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Chris Evans, Editor
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