Free thinkers wanted.
Discuss and debate today’s biggest talking points, directly with our journalists. | | Andy Lennox, landlord of The Old Thatch in Wimborne, Dorset, fears for the future of his pub |  | Will Hawkes Telegraph Pub Expert | In 2025, I travelled the country to put together our guide to the 500 Best Pubs in England. It was a marvellous experience, as you can imagine, and educational, too. I learnt two things: there is a growing thirst for traditional pubs in this country, but they are under greater threat than ever before.
Pub numbers have been dropping for years, of course, but the actions of our present Government have made things drastically worse. If you spoke to publicans before last year’s Budget, as I did, you would have heard their hopes for assistance in the form of business rate reform. Even the Prime Minister admits that what they got instead has only increased the pain, though the Chancellor seems loath to agree. No wonder there is anger.
While none of us is in favour of drink-driving, news that the Government is considering toughening the rules in England and Wales to mirror Scotland, where one drink can put a driver over the limit, will feel like another blow for those struggling to keep rural pubs afloat.
The Government must change course. Now, more than ever, our pubs need support – because it’s not just badly run places that are under threat, as some blithely assume. Even superb pubs, like those on our list, could be forced to close. It’s that serious.
Read the full story here ➤
How Labour killed off Britain’s rural pubs ➤
Telegraph View: Our pubs are in peril. We need to save them ➤ | | Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron, and Sir Keir Starmer signed the Declaration of Paris yesterday | Britain will deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine as part of a proposed ceasefire deal backed for the first time by the United States.
A joint declaration for the “multinational force”, to help uphold any peace agreement and prevent another invasion by Russia, was signed by Sir Keir Starmer, with France and Ukraine, last night.
The deal includes Britain and France setting up military “hubs” in Ukraine to facilitate troop deployments if needed, and to also help with reconstruction efforts.
The plan has the support of the US, which has now offered a “backstop” to support the European troops in the event of a future war with Russia.
However, it comes amid mounting tension between Europe and the US over Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, a territory of Nato-member Denmark.
A Trump official said: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, briefed US politicians that threats against Greenland did not signal an imminent invasion, and that the goal was to buy the island, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
Yesterday, European leaders united to condemn the US president’s threatened take-over. Sir Keir joined others in insisting only Greenland and Denmark can decide on the island’s future.
However, Europe’s full-throated support for Greenland has not deterred Mr Trump, the official said.
Read the full story here ➤
Trump considering using military to take Greenland, says White House ➤ | | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard The US president’s Venezuelan plunder will soon be worthless as the world moves beyond oil Continue reading ➤ Greg Dickinson The British addiction to airport drop-off charges has become an embarrassment Continue reading ➤ Rowan Pelling The new ‘wonder’ weight-loss pill will change the world (not in a good way) Continue reading ➤ |  | | Bethell danced down the pitch and struck a six over long-on to bring up his first century in first-class cricket | Amid the wreckage of an awful Ashes, a star was born for England in Sydney as Jacob Bethell scored a magical maiden Test century, writes Will Macpherson.
Bethell has looked the part for England before, but this was on another level, both in terms of the class he displayed and the pressure he was under. When he came to the crease, everything was stacked against England. They were one down, and 179 behind. Ben Stokes was injured. Players’ minds were surely turning to their online check-in for the flight home.
Not the 22-year-old. Bethell took it all in his stride, and such is his precocity, this was his maiden first-class hundred, too. In the stands, his parents were tearfully hugging.
In scoring his maiden Test century in Sydney, Bethell emulated the man who has already been part of his story: Brian Lara. When Bethell was 11, he worked with Lara, and my colleague Tim Wigmore visited Barbados to get the inside story.
Read the profile in full and see how the day’s play unfolded here ➤ | | Am I normal? It’s a question many of us ponder at some stage, usually when we’re struggling. For Dr Alex George, a late diagnosis of ADHD and OCD was life-changing. He now argues that far from over-diagnosing these conditions, the real tragedy is the number of neurodivergent people who suffer without understanding why. Continue reading ➤ | | | Have you noticed something strange recently? You go online and find words that are irritatingly emphasised or — more — annoyingly — words that are interspersed with the cursed em-dash. And let’s not start on American spelling or we will all be put in a very bad humor, sorry humour. With this in mind, Alexander Larman shows you 10 telltale signs that what you are reading is, in fact, AI-generated. Continue reading ➤ | | | Feeling strong in your upper body gives you a renewed sense of confidence, says personal trainer Caroline Idiens. You hold yourself differently, you walk differently: beautifully upright, not hunched. In part two of a four-part programme, she shares the 10-minute routine you need to build strong arms, chest, back and shoulders. Stick with it and you will quickly notice the difference. Continue reading ➤ | | | From snoring through trials to showing up late (or not at all), Britain’s bored jurors are pushing the justice system to the brink. With cases lasting nearly 80 days and filled with “tedious” evidence rather than Agatha Christie-style drama, distracted panels are causing chaos. The true scope of Britain’s “fragile” process is now laid bare, with experts fearing that a smartphone-addicted generation simply lacks the stamina for justice. Continue reading ➤ | | | Devon Ching met his wife Katie at a sex party in 2021. Now happily married and sharing a flat in south London, they seem like any other couple, yet, as they both pursue non-monogamy, their relationship is far from traditional. Devon shares how they make it work, from boundary setting to what their relationship will look like in the future. Continue reading ➤ | | | Kate Winslet wore a red blazer and matching wide-leg trousers designed by Gabriela Hearst to the Princess of Wales’s carol service | Usually reserved for the likes of Nicola Sturgeon and Angela Rayner, the brightly coloured trouser suit is most often sported by politicians. Yet Kate Winslet recently upended that reputation at the Princess of Wales’s carol concert, looking the epitome of cool in an all-red ensemble. Rebecca Cope explains how to master the trend without going full corporate. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more insightful articles for you this morning: - Yes, you can make a cheese toastie in the microwave. Shocked? Here are four more things you didn’t know you could zap.
- Beans are a secret weapon to make your everyday meals a little bit healthier. Dried, tinned or jarred – which is best?
| | The spectacular West Highland line features the Glenfinnan Viaduct of Harry Potter fame |  | Adrian Bridge Travel writer | British railway lovers like me have plenty of reasons to rejoice, for 2026 will be a bumper year for UK train journeys.
At the luxurious end of the scale, one of Britain’s plushest trains, the Northern Belle, has introduced a “Krug class”, making its scenic day trips to cities such as York, Edinburgh and Bath even more special. There’s also a new rail tour taking in the most beautiful stretch of track in Britain, Scotland’s West Highland line, and another ticking off the unspoilt villages of central Wales.
Meanwhile, our best-known overnight service, the Caledonian Sleeper, will for the first time be picking up passengers in Birmingham for its journeys north. Added to this will be direct services (for the first time since 1992) between London and the Lincolnshire seaside town of Cleethorpes, and between Newcastle and Brighton.
See my pick of the 10 most exciting new developments, which prove that not all UK rail projects carry the curse of HS2.
Continue reading ➤ | Precious cargo 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...
Phone. Purse. Packed lunch. Stainless steel cutlery? Everyone recites their own mental checklist of belongings before they shut the front door behind them.
It was therefore fascinating, in an anthropological sense, to read the responses to Christopher Hope’s piece in the Peterborough column. Christopher quoted Dame Penny Mordaunt, who likes to get members of her audience comparing inventories: “The average number of items in a woman’s handbag is 75. I say to the chaps: ‘Why do you think they’ve got all that stuff in there?’ It’s because they have the imagination to think ‘What could go wrong?’”
To give them due credit, male readers came back with plenty of creativity. Benjamin Waterhouse gave an impressive list: “a Waiter’s Friend corkscrew, cigar cutter, lighter, coin purse, handkerchief, glasses cloth, Swiss Army knife, wallet, keys attached to a micro tool and phone”.
There was also evidence of the foreplanning that Dame Penny was so quick to attribute to women. “I carry my 60+ Oyster card when driving,” wrote Alan Craig: “If the car breaks down I can get home by bus.”
Perhaps there was a fundamental difference in temperament, suggested Alec Bradley: while women prepare, “Men know they will find the necessaries on site if needed – see Apollo 13.”
Mo Bass put another slant on the division of labour: “In our household my husband carries the kitchen sink in his manbag and I usually just have my phone. I’m the can-do problem solver. If I can’t fix the problem, I’ll phone someone who can.”
The things we handle have a way of defining us in the eyes of others. Julie Bower provided us with a wonderful pen portrait of her grandmother, who “used to carry a screwdriver in her handbag. As she explained one day, in the event of being trapped in a public lavatory she could always take out the screws in the hinges or remove the lock to escape.” Now there’s a fine example for us all. What can’t you leave the house without? And what’s your special power in a crisis? 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 ENLIGHTEN. Come back tomorrow for the solution 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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