| | | Good morning.
Labour is suffering a precipitous fall in popularity since its 2024 landslide. Coincidentally, Sir Keir Starmer looks set to cancel local elections in at least 27 areas, denying four million people a vote. The two are surely not unconnected, argues Gordon Rayner, our Associate Editor. Today, The Telegraph launches the Campaign For Democracy because you, the reader, must be allowed to speak.
Elsewhere, we report on the latest from Iran as Britain evacuates its embassy as fears grow of an imminent US strike; Martin Evans, our Crime Editor, reports on the shocking findings from a report into the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans that have left the chief of West Midlands Police fighting for his career and we also share a £1 trick that could save you thousands in pensions tax. Chris Evans, Editor | |
We speak your mind. Enjoy free-thinking comment that champions your values. |  | Gordon Rayner Associate Editor | Will you get to vote in May’s local elections? Almost four million people won’t, because Labour is cancelling ballots in at least 27 councils.
If this strikes you as convenient for Labour at a time when they are tanking in the polls, you are not alone, and today The Telegraph launches a campaign to ensure this shameful attack on democracy can never be repeated.
We are calling for a change in the law to remove ministers’ ability to cancel elections at the stroke of a pen, and opposition leaders are already on board.
The Tories say Sir Keir Starmer is “running scared” of the electorate. In some areas, this is the second year in a row that elections have been cancelled, meaning some councillors will stay in office for seven years without having to be re-elected.
Labour’s excuse is that the councils in question do not have the bandwidth to organise elections at a time when they are facing major restructuring (caused by Labour’s decision to scrap many district councils and create new mayoralties).
Yet the councils themselves get to choose whether to take up the offer of postponing elections, and out of 63 affected councils, the majority have decided they do have the time to organise elections. It may not come as a surprise to you that the vast majority of those that have taken up the chance to postpone are Labour.
Read the full story here ➤ | | Craig Guildford, the chief constable of West Midlands Police, has ignored calls for his resignation |  | Martin Evans Crime Editor | Sir Andy Cooke’s report into the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ought to have been the final nail in the coffin for beleaguered Chief Constable Craig Guildford.
West Midlands Police has been under immense pressure for their handling of the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans travelling to a match against Aston Villa in November based partly on “intelligence”, some of which was generated by AI.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary highlighted a litany of inaccuracies, failures and blunders by the force, including failing to consult the local Jewish community, exaggerating the threat posed by Israeli supporters and failing to keep accurate records of meetings.
Even after Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, declared she had lost confidence in Mr Guildford, his Police and Crime Commissioner, the only person with the power to sack him, has refused to act.
Simon Foster, who is on the Left of the Labour Party, has said he will not act until he has had a chance to grill the chief constable at a board meeting scheduled for Jan 27. So, the saga looks like it is set to continue.
Read the full story here ➤ | | Allister Heath Compared to the anti-Israel outcry, the double standards are despicable Continue reading ➤ Sybilla Hart In 2026 I can’t afford to have a cleaner Continue reading ➤ Allison Pearson Twitter makes Two-Tier Keir look ridiculous, so of course he wants to ban it Continue reading ➤ | | Benjamin Franklin once said: “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, and wise.” But what do you do if you can’t get to sleep? From timing your workouts to turning off the heating, sleep expert Dr Guy Meadows gives his top tips on how to fall asleep quickly. Continue reading ➤ | | | It was reported this week that the NHS is overspending on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services by £164m a year, with a rising amount spent on unregulated private assessments. Kate Spicer has first-hand experience of how difficult securing treatment can be. Her own path to assessment, diagnosis, medication and ongoing care took two years and cost her thousands. This is what she learnt. Continue reading ➤ | | | Average increase in “rateable value” between 2023 and 2026 by council. Map data: ONS Geography | | Britain’s pubs are grappling with an unprecedented crisis, crippled by surging business rates. To map the scale of the sector’s plight, we’ve created an interactive tool to find out the impact that Labour’s tax raid will have on your local. Continue reading ➤ | | | After leaving her husband of 21 years last summer, this 54-year-old writer filtered her dating apps so that they showed only men aged 21 to 39. Dating men under 40 has left her reinvigorated, and rapidly making up for lost time. Continue reading ➤ | | | The new Subaru could be a strong off-roading rival to Land Rover | | It’s tempting to think that a 4x4 will keep you mobile in all conditions, although the price of Land Rovers can be off-putting. Subaru of Japan has a tempting alternative – its new four-wheel-drive system permits you to go up or down hills on slippery and challenging surfaces without having to use the pedals. Continue reading ➤ | | | Tunbridge Wells, Brighton and London have been named as Britain’s worst property markets after buyers struggled to sell and house prices fell in 2025. In Canterbury, 18 per cent of sellers were forced to cut asking prices by more than five per cent. See the full list of worst offenders here and find out how buyers can profit. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more helpful articles for you this morning: - Savers expend time and effort painstakingly clawing back their hard-earned from HMRC. This £1 trick could save you the hassle – and thousands in pension tax.
- Finally, the new (and much more comfortable) way to wear ballet flats is a hybrid trainer design: the “sneakerina”. Our fashion team is on hand to help if you want to pull off the look.
|  | Gareth A Davies Boxing and MMA Correspondent | To celebrate the release of biopic Giant, I’ve curated a list of the greatest ever films about the fighting arts. The genre captures the “triumph of the human spirit” and the visceral, unforgiving reality of combat sport. I’ve prioritised narrative depth and the psychological toll of the ring over mere action in my top dozen.
It is never simple to list in an order of merit. Yet boxing movies resonate because the sport is primal, gladiatorial. These films best translate that calling and metaphor to the screen.
My runner-up is a film with values of socialist culturalism and gritty noir mirroring the broken dreams often found in the real life boxing business and taking the title is a stunning evocation of a titanic fight, but it isn’t just a sports film, it’s a masterpiece of storytelling and cultural history.
Continue reading ➤ | |
Why was this “prophet” arrested in Mali? | Meals on wheels 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...
It’s a source of sadness to me that I have never dined on a train. By “dined”, I don’t mean “polished off three different types of M&S snack with a couple of cans of lager”, much as I enjoy doing that. I’m talking about a proper, three-course meal, of the kind that might once have been followed by a cigar.
Well, I no longer have any excuse to complain, because according to Pieter Snepvangers this experience (minus the cigar, alas) is entirely within reach. For a relatively modest sum, it’s possible to upgrade a standard-class ticket on GWR’s London-to-Plymouth service to include dinner in the Pullman Dining car. Sign me up.
Readers have been prompted to recall a more food-focused age of rail travel. Roger Dyer wrote: “It is sad to think that restaurant cars were standard on long-distance services under British Rail. The first time I experienced one was as a youngster on the morning Liverpool-to-Euston Merseyside Express, back in the 1950s. As I recall, the price was around 12 shillings and sixpence.”
Richard White added: “I can remember in the 1960s travelling standard-class, and the steward came along offering tickets for first or second sitting. The grub was great. In the 1970s I would travel from Bournemouth to London and have an excellent breakfast. I claimed it on expenses from my Army unit.”
Duncan Gould put in a word for “the full English breakfast, costing a fiver, served on early-morning trains from Newcastle in 1981. The bacon had rind on it. The whole experience was a treat”.
But another reader highlighted a pitfall: “Virgin reintroduced a dining service briefly on a route to Manchester a few years ago. Having boarded at around 5pm, I was offered the opportunity to sample the ‘trial’ menu.
“It seemed a little early but, loath to turn it down, I was served a lavish four-course meal with wine. Unfortunately, as I was on a trip to stay with friends for whom eating and drinking was a pastime, I had to conceal from them the fact that I was already stuffed to the gills when I arrived, and politely piled into another huge meal at 9pm.” What’s the best meal you’ve had on a train? 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 MEANWHILE. 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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