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Detectives are building a file of evidence for the CPS in order to charge Christian Brueckner |
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Martin Evans Crime Editor |
On Sunday, Kate and Gerry McCann marked the painful 19-year anniversary since Madeleine, their three-year-old daughter, vanished from their holiday apartment in Portugal.
In a statement, the couple spoke of their continuing need to “find some justice” for their daughter.
Madeleine McCann was three years old when she went missing from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz |
Now, The Telegraph has discovered that the justice they crave so desperately could be one step closer.
A small team of Scotland Yard detectives, overseen by a deputy assistant commissioner, has been gathering evidence against Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect, in the hope of bringing him to trial.
The Metropolitan Police would like to put Brueckner before a jury at the Old Bailey but the German constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries and Berlin may refuse the request.
This would almost certainly provoke a diplomatic and legal row. If Germany refuses to hand over the convicted sex offender, Scotland Yard is committed to presenting a strong enough case to ensure he faces charges in either Germany or Portugal, where the crime took place.
It is almost six years since Brueckner, a convicted rapist, was identified as the prime suspect.
At the time, he was serving a long prison sentence for the rape of a pensioner in Praia da Luz, the resort town where Madeleine disappeared.
Many believed the German authorities were biding their time and would charge Brueckner with abduction and murder before he became eligible for release.
When he was freed without further charges in September last year, the Met Police resolved to pursue the case with renewed determination. Brueckner has always denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
This article is available only to subscribers.
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Off the grid and lying low in the woods: Christian Brueckner’s life after prison ➤ |
Starmer boards a plane after attending the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia |
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Dominic Penna Senior Political Correspondent |
When do you last remember seeing Sir Keir Starmer out campaigning for Labour?
If no answer comes to mind, that is because appearances by the Prime Minister before Thursday’s crunch local elections have been few and far between.
While other party leaders were out on the campaign trail yesterday, Starmer attended the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, where he lobbied leaders across the Continent for closer British-EU ties.
Some in Government believe his absence is deliberate, with one senior source saying: “I think it’s true that he’s being kept away.”
Downing Street insists Starmer is busy with the day-to-day work of running the country. However, his dire poll ratings, and public frustration with him on just about every issue, mean it would come as no surprise if he were being sheltered from voter anger.
As Labour sheds voters to Reform UK on the Right and the Greens on the Left, it is little wonder that MPs from across the party regard Starmer as a liability, not an asset.
“Depressing”, “grim” and “hostile” are the words offered up by three different backbenchers who spoke to The Telegraph between dismal door-knocking sessions.
These elections were never likely to be pretty for Starmer or Labour. By the end of this week, we will know just how badly they have gone – and how much the private frustration of MPs and activists will translate into public calls for yet another change of prime minister.
For subscribers only ➤ |
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Suzanne Moore Attacks on Britain’s Jewish community are assaults on Britain itself. If you aren’t doing your bit then you are part of the problem Continue reading ➤
Charles Moore Sex-crazed nudists are running wild and the authorities decline to act Continue reading ➤
James Kirkup Potholes and populism are part of the same story Continue reading ➤ |
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The crocodile was airlifted to nearby Kruger National Park before a post-mortem examination was carried out |
Sir Tony Blair has made no secret of the fact that he thinks Sir Keir Starmer should change course on net zero. Now, the former Labour prime minister has popped up again with another intervention, awkwardly timed for just days before the local elections.
Continue reading ➤ |
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Alastair Fothergill met David Attenborough in 1988 and first worked with him in 1990 on his Trials of Life series |
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Laure Ferrari, Nigel Farage’s partner, criticised Carrie Johnson’s actions during her husband’s time in office |
Laure Ferrari insisted she would not become a power behind the throne if Nigel Farage reached Downing Street, while accusing Carrie Johnson of meddling in affairs of state. Yet she claimed to have urged him out of Ukip, into the I’m a Celebrity jungle, and finally into Parliament, moves that helped reshape the Reform UK leader’s career. Continue reading ➤ |
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Two pubs a day shut their doors in the first three months of the year as they grappled with Rachel Reeves’s tax raid and growing wage bills, figures show. It comes at a worrying time for the sector, which is also facing a slump in consumer sentiment as Britons keep a close eye on their spending. If that wasn’t enough, the cost of a pint in London is simply unsustainable, as Joe Burgis, Deputy Letters Editor, writes below.
Continue reading ➤ |
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Alison James: ‘I questioned my own desirability and worth as a woman’ |
It was five months short of my 60th birthday when my life as I’d known it for the previous 40 years ceased to exist, writes Alison James. My husband, whom I’d been with since I was 17, revealed that he fancied other men and had done so since his early teens. This is how I coped with the implosion of my and my family’s world. Continue reading ➤ |
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A heart health overhaul needn’t involve a dramatic lifestyle change. In fact, as little as 11 minutes of extra sleep a night, one extra portion of veg a day, or a single set of daily squats, could be enough to significantly improve your wellbeing, providing you commit to the changes, say experts.
Continue reading ➤
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Beyoncé, Rihanna and Nicole Kidman |
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Caroline Leaper Deputy Fashion Director |
At a press conference to open the 2026 Met Gala, Dame Anna Wintour suggested that she was nervous. With Beyoncé, Cher, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Rihanna and Nicole Kidman all in attendance, though, she probably didn’t need to be.
This was the starriest line-up the Met Gala has ever attracted – it was a comeback, really, after several years of lacklustre names. As Wintour steps back from the day-to-day running of American Vogue and ultimately eyes her retirement, it may also be seen as an intention to go out on a high.
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This year the dress code was ‘‘fashion is art’’ and interpretations on the red carpet took a varied approach. There were the literal dressers – Beyoncé in an Olivier Rousteing-designed diamond skeleton, for example. Some wore pieces of art, such as Kim Kardashian in an Allen Jones sculptural breastplate. Others wore hand-painted gowns referencing artworks by Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch. And then there were some, like Stevie Nicks, who seemingly ignored the theme entirely.
As the show-off celebrities head home and de-robe, the most competitive costume party in the world is done for another year. The 2026 turnout will be seen as a success for Wintour’s legacy, and the bonkers and beautiful outfits on display will be referred to for years to come.
See all the looks here ➤
Plus, our Fashion and Beauty Newsletter takes you behind the scenes of the week’s biggest stories and offers you exclusive style advice from our team of experts.
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There were many stand-out looks at this year’s Met Gala, and none more than this one. Can you work out which celebrity became a living sculpture?
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1. Sabrina Carpenter
2. Blake Lively
3. Heidi Klum
4. Cara Delevingne
Click to reveal the answer (which you can find in the gallery). |
Priced out of a pintWhile Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, is away, Joe Burgis is on hand to share an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Joe writes...
We all knew the moment would come, but it was still a shock to read that we had entered the era of the £10 pint. Long gone are the days of venturing out with a tenner, sure of enjoying a few pints of bitter, and perhaps even having enough cash left over for a scallop from the chippy. No, bars in London today are charging as much as £11 for a pint of Moretti and £8 for a half of Heineken.
There’s probably no going back – the rising cost of pints is an irreversible trend, like SUVs or smashed avocado – but mercifully you can find relics of the old, pre-£10 world, mostly outside London. Indeed, soon after the news broke, I raised a £3.50 glass of Gunpowder Mild in honour of reasonably priced pints in a pub in Clitheroe, Lancashire.
Julian Hales provided further hope: “A top-notch pint of locally produced beer has just gone up to £4.60 at our community-owned pub in Essex. It makes £1m annual turnover, £250,000 profit, and is growing at 20 per cent year on year. Free house pubs, run well, can be gold mines.”
What to do if you aren’t so lucky? I sympathised with Mark Pritchard’s predicament: “We used to go to the pub before Brentford FC matches, but with a round of four beers now costing more than £30, we meet instead at my son-in-law’s house and drink supermarket-purchased beer at a third of the price.” The same goes for televised sport: watching Super Sunday with a few Proper Jobs at home is, alas, vastly cheaper than enjoying the game with pints at the pub.
Iain Wallace gave a grim summing-up: “It’s nice to know that the rise in my Army pension this year won’t even buy me a pint of beer in London.” Unless, that is, one can find hidden gems in the capital. To which end, Richard Sharpe asked: “How much is a pint in the House of Commons bar?” Would you pay a tenner for a pint? Or are pubs now simply too expensive to tempt you? 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. |
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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 ABDOMINAL. 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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