Free thinkers wanted. Discuss and debate today’s biggest talking points, directly with our journalists. |  | Ben Riley-Smith Political Editor | An extraordinary briefing war erupted last night when No 10 figures told reporters that Sir Keir Starmer would fight any leadership challenge mounted against him.
Downing Street issued a warning shot to plotters by suggesting that trying to oust the Prime Minister could crash the economy and destabilise the country.
A No 10 source told The Telegraph: “Any attempt to bring political instability into a Government with a very stable majority would be economically and politically extremely unwise.”
More eye-catching still, cabinet ministers including Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, have been singled out as on leadership manoeuvres by Starmer allies. | Mr Streeting and Ms Mahmood have been accused of being on leadership manoeuvres | That has provoked a push-back from those in the firing line.
A spokesman for Mr Streeting said: “These claims are categorically untrue.”
An ally of Ms Mahmood rejected suggestions she was plotting for the leadership, calling it “nonsense” and saying there was “clearly one big No 10 operation” under way.
The timing of the impassioned defence of Sir Keir was curious. There had been little talk about the Prime Minister’s position or threats to it in the preceding days in the media.
It looks very much like a deliberate Downing Street attempt to flush out any leadership threat and secure Sir Keir’s position before the Budget on Nov 26, in which a manifesto promise is expected to be broken by raising income tax.
But that in itself is revealing. It suggests No 10 believes the internal political threat to the Labour leader, whose party has fallen to just 18 per cent in the polls, is of real concern.
A fascinating display of Westminster fireworks a week after bonfire night. This story looks set to dominate the coming days.
Read the full story here ➤ | | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Labour can recover its popularity provided Rachel Reeves does not make any more errors Continue reading ➤ Philip Johnston The BBC isn’t the only British institution that is self-sabotaging Continue reading ➤ Annabel Denham Reeves’s sop to the Left is an insult to responsible Britons Continue reading ➤ | Enjoy our best experience. Join us today and you’ll also unlock our award-winning app. | | Satellite photos show Lop Nur has been growing over the last five years | Hidden out in north-western Xinjiang province, Lop Nur – or China’s Area 51 – has developed a reputation for hosting machinery that Beijing doesn’t want the world to see, reports Allegra Mendelson, our Asia Correspondent. While it’s strictly prohibited to fly over, satellite images offer a glimpse of what China is developing and how it could be used. The most alarming? A nuclear test facility, which has been expanded drastically in the last five years.
Continue reading ➤ |  | | The search is on for a new director-general of the BBC. But with the broadcaster facing existential problems, Tim Davie’s replacement will face a number of difficult challenges. Younger viewers have turned away from it. The licence fee is no longer fit for purpose. Most seriously of all, BBC News – once considered the global gold standard of news and current affairs reporting – is in crisis. Here, Anita Singh, our Arts and Entertainment Editor, suggests five things that need to be done to restore public trust. Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Inflammation is an invisible thing that happens inside of your body, but it can cause health problems that are tough to ignore –from arthritis to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Fatigue, flaky skin and dehydration are all telltale signs of chronic inflammation, and while it’s hard to avoid completely, keeping levels to a minimum is critical to a healthy, happy life. Matt Roberts reveals the easy lifestyle tweaks that can help reduce inflammation. Continue reading ➤ | | | Supernanny may have been on our screens over 17 years ago, but parenting expert Jo Frost has found a new Gen Z audience to share her advice with instead. In our interview, Frost shares her tips for those navigating motherhood and fatherhood in 2025, from warning against excessive screen time to the importance of having real conversations with your children. Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Belgium has a drone problem that its allies are scrambling to help with. British troops, alongside units from France and Germany, have been dispatched to their European neighbour after a series of sightings of unidentified, unmanned aerial vehicles led to airport closures and fears of espionage. The finger is being pointed at Russia, with ministers and experts warning that Moscow is attempting to intimidate the Belgian government into blocking a European Union scheme to use €140bn of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. But Belgium is not alone in facing this grey zone threat – or hybrid war, according to some.
Continue reading ➤ | | When the late Queen gave birth to her third child in 1960, church bells rang out across the land, the nation celebrated a new prince and Ray Lea Road, in Maidenhead, changed its name to Prince Andrew Road. But now some residents are not so keen on their association with the disgraced royal. Rosa Silverman reports. Continue reading ➤ | | | Sparkling fairy lights and festive soundtracks will soon be filling the aisles, and supermarkets are pulling out the stops to get us spending on Christmas provisions. Xanthe Clay has analysed which shops have the best Christmas products and the last day you can leave it to place your orders for them to arrive in time for the 25th.
Continue reading ➤ Below are two more helpful articles for you this morning: - Like a shot of spicy pimento for your wardrobe, red knitwear can enliven even the most neutral of looks. Here’s our guide to styling the bold colour and which ones you should buy.
- Mary Keen, the legendary garden designer and writer, reveals her secrets to make your garden feel alive all year round.
| | After almost three decades as a travel writer, this was the year I branched out. Following an intensive two-year training course and 12 exams, I qualified as a Blue Badge tourist guide in London.
Since I began showing visitors around the capital, I’ve discovered a great deal – not just about the city itself, but about holidaymakers’ habits, other guides, hotel staff, and, most importantly, where to find the best free lavatories.
Most of my guests so far have been Americans. If you’re expecting to roll your eyes at tales of their odd or exasperating habits, I’ll have to disappoint you.
Continue reading ➤ | |
After six years on the run, the Chinese woman behind Britain’s biggest ever money-laundering case ended with its architect cowering in the bed of an Airbnb. This arrest took place in which city? | Midday merriment 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...
Well, they’re here. November may have only just got going, but chiller display cabinets across this unseasonably warm country are groaning beneath the weight of Christmas sandwiches. No point complaining about it. Their wildly premature arrival is now firmly established as a tradition in itself, with all the attendant hopes and fears. Will Pret up its game? Can anyone forgive Asda for what it did last year?
I am not the man to answer these questions. Regular readers of this newsletter will be aware that I have a deep, and perhaps not especially grown-up, aversion to mixing sweet and savoury flavours – which means that Christmas, gastronomically speaking, is a nightmare for me.
Fortunately, The Telegraph has assembled an elite squad of sandwich tasters to give you the definitive ranking. Not so definitive, though, that readers didn’t have the odd quibble.
Nicholas Round felt the three stars awarded to Waitrose’s Festive Turkey Curry Sandwich was a tad generous: “How anyone can eat cold curried anything in a sandwich is beyond me. Horrible.”
Richard Holloway added: “I can’t understand why none of the sandwiches included sprouts. An essential Christmas ingredient.”
Another reader, going by the name of Mr Quarell, made what I considered to be an extremely sound point: “The M&S Turkey Feast was great last year, and it looks the same this year, but personally I'd prefer no cranberry jam in it. I just don’t get the savoury/sweet thing, whether it’s this, or duck with orange, or anything similar.”
I promise I wasn’t writing under a pseudonym. For John Langdale, meanwhile, “nothing beats post-Christmas sandwiches made from the leftover turkey and my wife’s homemade cranberry sauce. Or, alternatively, the ones with the leftover Brie from the cheese board, with the same accompaniment.” Have you been sampling this year’s offerings? Let me know which you liked most (and least) here, and the best responses will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, for which you can sign up to here. | Plan your day with the telegraph | Set your alarm to catch up with journalists on the Your Say page and listen to their analysis on our latest podcasts.
| | 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.
The solution to yesterday’s clue was VIRTUALLY. Come back tomorrow for the answer to today’s puzzle. | | Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. | |
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