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Thursday, 7 August 2025 Welcome to From the Editor – the very best from our newsroom delivered to your inbox daily. Simon Pearson, the teacher sacked for saying Lucy Connolly was a victim of two-tier policing, told The Telegraph that he believes he was persecuted for being Christian. Gordon Rayner, our Associate Editor, writes that Pearson’s story is a chilling case of how thought crimes are now a reality in modern Britain. You can also listen to the interview on The Daily T podcast. Also this morning, we bring you the latest on the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks. Donald Trump said last night he may meet Vladimir Putin as early as next week in an aim to broker an end to the war. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. You can enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Today’s headlines Trump to meet Putin as early as next week to discuss Ukraine ceasefire Starmer’s tax pledge thrown into chaos 200 asylum hotel residents charged with crimes this year Rayner orders China to explain secret basement under London ‘mega-embassy’ Josef Fritzl made me reject God, says Badenoch Prince Harry attacks his former charity for invoking memory of Diana Prostate cancer patients to be fast-tracked on to drug trials Never miss a moment Stay ahead with live news updates in our award-winning app Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   The teacher sacked for a Facebook post Simon Pearson, with an excerpt from the Facebook post he wrote Gordon Rayner Associate Editor   If you needed any more convincing that we now live in an era of thought crime, the case of Simon Pearson should help make your mind up. Mr Pearson, a 56-year-old father of two and a committed Christian, was sacked by his employer, Preston College, for pointing out the apparent double standards at play when Lucy Connolly was jailed for a tweet about the Southport riots last year. The 56-year-old, who has spent his life teaching the English language to foreigners and has spoken up for asylum seekers and Uyghur Muslims in the past, was accused of Islamophobia by a colleague after he pointed out that Connolly had been jailed while those who called for genocide in Israel faced no consequences. Controversial? You might not have thought so, especially when you discover that Mr Pearson’s thoughts were shared not in a classroom or even at work, but in a private Facebook group open to fewer than 100 of his friends, in which no mention was made of his workplace or even his job. Unfortunately for Mr Pearson, a single person in that group appears to have taken offence and forwarded his posts to a Muslim representative of the National Education Union, who complained to the college authorities. Mr Pearson was suspended on his first day back at work after last year’s summer holidays, escorted off the premises and sacked five months later. In his first full-length interview, recorded for the Daily T podcast, he told me of his fear that Christians were now the most persecuted religion in the world, and of his belief that if he had belonged to another religion and offended a Christian he would still be in a job. Read the full story and listen to the interview in full here ➤   Opinion and analysis   Annabel Denham Deputy Comment Editor Reeves has driven Britain to the brink. Full-blown crisis will soon be upon us Continue reading ➤     Jeremy Warner Daily Telegraph Associate Editor Net zero may doom Heathrow’s £49bn expansion plans Continue reading ➤     Suzanne Moore Telegraph columnist Young girls find bra-buying excruciating enough without ‘help’ from trans M&S workers Continue reading ➤   We speak your mind Enjoy free-thinking comment that champions your values Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Must reads Prince Andrew: A tale of lust, avarice and excess Review ★★☆☆☆ | Christopher Howse gives his take on the new Prince Andrew biography ‘I swapped Britain for safe, clean, low-tax Singapore – and my happiness has soared’ The elite Ukrainian special forces unit behind one of the war’s most daring assaults ‘Running a pub is a lifestyle – if there’s any money left for me, it’s a bonus’ Murdoch takes on Trump in press baron’s last stand     The best of the Telegraph   Why is the ‘White Widow’ of the 7/7 bombings still at large? On July 7, Gordon Rayner, our Associate Editor, reflected on the 20-year anniversary of 7/7 – one of Britain’s most devastating terror attacks in which three trains and a bus were bombed, killing 52 innocent people. In particular, why one of the conspirators behind the deadliest of the four co-ordinated suicide attacks is still walking free. Samantha Lewthwaite, the white Christian-born daughter of a former British soldier, has been accused of involvement in more than 240 murders in terrorist attacks and has reached an almost mythical status as the so-called “White Widow” of Islamist terrorism. This is the story of how she continues to evade the world’s intelligence agencies. Continue reading ➤   Discuss Every day our journalists discuss the day’s biggest issues with subscribers on our app and on our website. Today, David Blair, our Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, responds to a reader comment on his article: ‘The bombing of Hiroshima saved my grandfather – and tens of thousands more’ Stuart Plaskow A friend of my parents was mentioned in The Knights of Bushido, which sets out in horrifying detail what the Japanese army did to prisoners of war. Anyone who doubts the need for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan should read the book.   David Blair The ordeal of the prisoners who were in the hands of Japan on Aug 6 1945 should always be weighed in the balance when judging the morality of the atom bomb. Coming up today At 2pm, Annabel Denham will be replying to your comments on her article: Reeves has driven Britain to the brink. What comes next will be much worse. And Greg Dickinson will be responding to your thoughts on his piece: The North Coast 500 sold a Scottish dream to the world. A decade on, locals are counting the cost at 3pm.   Join the debate Share your thoughts with our journalists and your fellow readers Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Listen Click below to enjoy one of our agenda-setting podcasts   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 PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   The solution to yesterday’s clue was BEDFELLOW. Come back tomorrow for the answer to today’s puzzle.   Newsletters Read and sign up to our newsletters Telegraph Money • Wednesday Want to be richer? Make your money work harder with our experts + Sign up   Ukraine: The Latest • Friday Critical insights from the hosts of the world’s most listened-to podcast on the war + Sign up   Business Briefing • Daily Step inside the C-suite with the City’s best-connected journalists + Sign up   Three months’ free access Subscribe now

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