Police numbers face axe

The slow death of the coalition of the willing | Stress, old age or dementia? Here’s how to tell

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Monday, 3 August 2026 Issue No. 526

Good morning. Britain faces more criminals and fewer police on the streets as a result of Labour’s early release scheme. Police chiefs are warning there will be less capacity for neighbourhood patrols as thousands of serious offenders are set free. Martin Evans, our Crime Editor, reveals plans to expand community sentencing, too. Elsewhere, Nigel Farage will today pledge that a Reform government would use the Navy to send every small boat back across the Channel. Amy Gibbons, our Political Correspondent, has the story. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. Try a whole year of The Telegraph for £19 while our Summer Sale lasts. If you’re already a subscriber make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.   In today’s edition The slow death of the coalition of the willing — Thirty best superhero films of all time, ranked — Plus, stress, old age or dementia? Here’s how to tell

Sale ends soon: One year for just £19 Think outside your inbox. Unlock full access to our free-thinking journalism, plus thousands of fun puzzles. Subscribe now   Police warn early release will lead to patrol cuts Martin Evans Crime Editor   Government plans for the early release of prisoners have come in for intense scrutiny in recent weeks. However, as ministers prepare to publish details of an urgent review into the scheme, police chiefs are warning that the proposals will significantly affect forces. Neighbourhood patrols are likely to be cut as chief constables focus resources on managing serious offenders in the community. Writing in The Telegraph, Assistant Chief Constable Jason Devonport urges the Government to invest in policing and ensure other agencies are sufficiently resourced to prevent reoffending by those who would otherwise be in prison. He writes: “Every area of policing will be affected by these measures, from call handlers through to sex offender management teams.” He points out that the Crime and Sentencing Act has already resulted in a crime surge among offenders who were given community sentences rather than locked up. The Telegraph has discovered that ministers are urgently looking at ways to expand unpaid community work projects to get more criminals cleaning up fly-tipping and vandalism amid widespread criticism of the current soft-touch approach. Alex Norris, the new Justice Secretary, wants to make community service for offenders tougher and more demanding, in a move he hopes could eventually reduce prison overcrowding by deterring young people from becoming involved in crime. While police chiefs support the need for action to address the prison overcrowding crisis, they are pressing the Government to ensure resources are available to prevent a crime wave from those who have avoided prison, while ensuring those let out early do not go straight back inside. Continue reading ➤   Reform pledges to use Navy to stop Ceuta-style ‘invasion’ Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, pays an emergency visit to Ceuta Amy Gibbons Political Correspondent   For years, politicians have argued that there are no easy answers to the small boats crisis. However, for Reform UK, there is a tried and tested way to defend Britain’s borders. Today, the party will pledge to call in the Navy as part of the biggest military operation in the English Channel since the Second World War. Under “Operation Fortress”, migrants attempting the perilous crossing would be stopped at sea and sent back to France or Belgium, with the aim of preventing a single dinghy from touching British shores. Reform said the shocking scenes in Ceuta last week – where 60,000 migrants from Morocco descended on the tiny Spanish territory in a matter of hours – showed the “urgency” of its plans. However, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, sought to distance the UK from the crisis in North Africa, insisting it was “trickier” for Britain to clamp down on small boats in the Channel. Meanwhile, Andy Burnham claimed that “progress” was being made on illegal migration as he highlighted a year-on-year drop in Channel crossings. The comparison with 2025 suggests he has reason to be optimistic. However, with the latest figures showing a further 2,000 migrants have arrived in small boats since he took over as Prime Minister, Burnham is under mounting pressure to take more drastic action – or hand the baton to Farage. Continue reading ➤   Opinion Jake Wallis Simons Congratulations Ireland, you’re no longer Europe’s most ridiculous country Spain’s socialist PM governs with a brazen hypocrisy that none of his neighbours can match Continue reading ➤     Matthew Lynn BP’s North Sea exit shows Miliband has been a disaster for Britain Continue reading ➤     Allison Pearson The school summer holiday should be capped at a month Continue reading ➤   To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. In other news • Uefa has threatened legal action against Gianni Infantino over his World Cup sell-off plan and warned him not to destroy any material relating to it. The European federation has also written to several people with links to Donald Trump who were set to benefit from the scheme. • Nigel Farage has prompted speculation that he will make a deal with Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain after pledging to build a “broad coalition” that unites the Right. • Hungary is facing power cuts after the drought that swept across much of Europe forced its only nuclear power plant to shut down. The level of the Danube River, which cools the plant, fell to a record low. • An Afghan man has been arrested in Athens in connection with the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase. • A Cambridge professor hailed as a diversity poster boy claimed that he had featured in Seven Up. The inaugural episode was broadcast in 1964, but he was not born until 1985. Jason Arday became a Cambridge professor aged 37   Your essential reads Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron were the diplomatic double act who unified more than 30 countries to support Ukraine The slow death of the coalition of the willing The year is 2027 and Emmanuel Macron is no longer France’s president. His departure from office means the coalition of the willing, which he founded alongside Sir Keir Starmer, will be without its original members. Joe Barnes and James Crisp explore what this could mean for efforts to deploy troops to uphold any ceasefire in Ukraine, and who could fill a leadership vacuum. Continue reading ➤   Nick Johnstone, pictured in his home office in Brighton, says working remotely has damaged his mental health ‘Working from home left me feeling lonely and purposeless’ I thought remote working would change my life for the better, but I’ve lost my sense of identity and miss human interaction, writes Nick Johnstone. Being remote has made my world much smaller. I’m 48, in the peak of midlife male loneliness and feel lost. There’s so much I wish I’d known before quitting office life. Continue reading ➤   ‘Should I buy my son’s home so he doesn’t lose it in his divorce? Watching your child go through a divorce is tough for any parent, and the instinct is to step in and help. This week, Moral Money expert Sam Secomb answers a reader considering using her cash to save her son’s family home. But, as our expert warns, even the best of intentions can cause more issues than they solve. Continue reading ➤   The 30 best superhero films of all time, ranked From Superman to Spider-Man, Batman to Baymax, these are the 30 greatest superhero films ever made. Our list stretches far beyond capes and comic books, taking in cult classics and unlikely genre-definers. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a sceptic, Robbie Collin, our critic, might just persuade you to believe in heroes again. Continue reading ➤   Seize the day Stress, old age or dementia? Here’s how to tell Have you been struggling to focus, misplacing your keys or becoming unusually irritated by everyday frustrations? It’s easy to blame changes in our thoughts, behaviour and feelings on getting older, or the stresses of modern life, and, most of the time, we’re correct. Some behavioural changes also overlap with the earliest signs of dementia, making it difficult to know when they’re worth investigating further. Polly Dunbar speaks to experts about the clues that help distinguish stress and ageing from something more concerning. For subscribers only ➤ Here is another article that I hope you’ll find useful this morning: If you’re planning a holiday in Britain this summer, do away with the stale tea bags and minimal spice rack. Our expert explains how to bring your home comforts with you.   CAPTION COMPETITION WITH... Matt Pritchett Cartoonist   Hello! No new cartoon from me this week as I am away, but congratulations to Mike Garland who came up with my favourite caption for this hosepipe ban rebel. Keep it up, everybody! P.S. For an inside look at what inspires my weekly cartoons, you can sign up for my personal subscriber-exclusive newsletter here.   Your say Spectacular sardines 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... Tinned sardines are on a sharp ascent. Long gone are the days when the best they could hope for was a comfortable berth at the back of a store cupboard, where they would patiently remain until the arrival of Armageddon. Today, higher-end varieties are an essential component of the middle-class foodie’s arsenal. In short, these little fish have made it. I’m a fan, though I confess I had never considered incorporating them into my martini, as recommended by Silvana Franco in her compendium of recipes. Even if Telegraph readers weren’t unanimously sold on that idea, they certainly had plenty to say about the virtues of the sardine, along with a few suggestions of their own.   John Georgeson wrote: “So versatile. They are very nice with scrambled eggs and some chopped chives.”   Jim Mckinley advised serving them with “chopped red onion and malt vinegar”.   Matt Litten favoured “the boneless ones in olive oil. Put them in a pan and sauté with sliced garlic, red chilli, a splash of white wine, lemon zest and juice, black pepper and parsley, and wait until they have broken down. Then toss through cooked spaghetti with a generous grate of parmesan and more black pepper”. I like the sound of that, although my favourite sardine pasta – indeed one of my favourite pastas of all – is the Sicilian variety. Try this recipe and find yourself transported to Palermo.   Finally, Rosanna Doyle offered a gloriously retro preparation: “Sardines mashed up with hard-boiled egg yolk and a smidge of Dijon mustard. Form it into a ball, then stuff it into the halved hard-boiled white of the egg. Add some bechamel and breadcrumbs over the top, then bake. I remember it from my childhood. Quite a faff for my mother to make, but it was delicious.” How do you like your sardines? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter. Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name.   On this day 1914 | Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary, famously remarks: “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” (and see our pages the following day on the war below) 1926 | Traffic lights installed at Piccadilly Circus 1936 | Jesse Owens wins the 100m in 10.3 seconds in front of Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics 1972 | Edward Heath proclaims an emergency crisis due to a dock strike Birthdays: Tom Brady (49), James Hetfield (63), Martha Stewart (85) Plus, in the news today, Phil Collins has ended a years-long feud with Sir Paul McCartney. When did they fall out? The two rock stars at the American Music Awards in 1986 1. 2018 2. 2016 3. 2022 4. 2012 Click one of the options to reveal the answer...   Puzzles 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 The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   Yesterday’s Panagram was OPPORTUNE. 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 at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor Sale ends soon: One year for just £19 Think outside your inbox. Unlock full access to our free-thinking journalism, plus thousands of fun puzzles. Subscribe now

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