lundi 2 mars 2026

Britain backs war, RAF base hit and conflict spreads

Inside Andrew’s disastrous time as Britain’s trade envoy | ‘How I went from a size 16 to a size eight’
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Monday, 2 March 2026

Issue No. 372

Good morning.

Last night, Britain backed the war with Iran by giving the US permission to use RAF air bases to strike Tehran’s infrastructure. Just hours later, one of these British bases was attacked by drones. This new war spread overnight as Israel hit Lebanon and, in the past two hours, there have been reports of explosions in several cities, including Dubai, Doha, and Bahrain’s capital, Manama. Britons caught in the region now face a race to escape the chaos. We have all the latest developments below.

Chris Evans, Editor

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In today’s edition

Inside Andrew’s disastrous time as Britain’s trade envoy

Highly dangerous children are more common than we all think

Plus, ‘How I went from a size 16 to a size eight’

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Britain backs war, RAF base hit and conflict spreads

Smoke rising over Tehran yesterday

Sir Keir Starmer has given the United States permission to use British military bases to strike Iran.

In an address, the Prime Minister backed the war with Iran after Tehran continued to strike allies across the Middle East with missiles and drones.

He said: “They’ve hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying. This is clearly a dangerous situation. We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region – residents, families on holiday, and those in transit. Iran is striking British interests nonetheless, and putting British people at huge risk, along with our allies across the region. That is the situation we face today.”

Hours after the announcement, RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was struck in a suspected drone attack, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Source: Institute for the Study of War

Now, the conflict, which Donald Trump has said could last up to four weeks, has spread further, with Israel attacking Lebanon after Hezbollah fired retaliatory strikes at various Israeli locations over the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Smoke rises in Beirut after Israeli airstrikes

Meanwhile, explosions have been reported in several cities across the Middle East this morning. Blasts were heard in Jerusalem, Dubai, Doha and Manama, marking the latest retaliation from Iran.

Additionally, Kuwait’s interior ministry said air defence systems intercepted an unspecified number of drones targeting the country and at least two drones have reportedly been intercepted in Iraq near Erbil airport.

As the conflict continues to escalate, plans for the biggest mass evacuation in a generation are now being drawn up to rescue thousands of Britons stranded in the region.
Follow the latest updates on the conflict here

Plus, Oil surges over fears Iran could close trade route

 

Chasing the deadly thump of Iranian missiles – in a Kia Picanto

The aftermath of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv

Henry Bodkin

Henry Bodkin

Jerusalem Correspondent, in Tel Aviv

 

It took a little over 12 hours for Iran to demonstrate that, however degraded its military was from last June’s war, it retained the ability to terrify and kill Israeli civilians.

The crater in the middle of the road in central Tel Aviv must have been at least 10 feet deep, and the shockwave had all but demolished the adjacent block of flats, killing a woman inside and injuring 27 others. The Telegraph arrived shortly after the blast. It was a scene of devastation and fear. People are defiant – they believe the cost is worth it – but they can’t quite believe they’re being bombarded again already.

Paramedic Chaim Gitler patrols the streets of Tel Aviv in his Kia Picanto

We spent the night with arguably the bravest of the brave, the lone paramedics who patrol Tel Aviv city centre at night so they can race to the scene of a missile strike and start co-ordinating the emergency response. Chaim Gitler, of the Magen David Adom ambulance service, is only 25, but he spends his nights dodging missiles in Israel’s largest city, and biggest target, determined to be on the scene first if a missile gets through.

As we quickly learnt, it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Read the full dispatch here

 

Opinion

David Blair Headshot

David Blair

Iran’s autopilot regime will fire off missiles until the bitter end

Before his death, the Ayatollah made plans for the Islamic Republic to outlive him. How long can the system survive this crisis?

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">Jeremy Warner</span> Headshot

Jeremy Warner

Be careful what you wish for in cheering the demise of Starmer and Reeves

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">Zoe Strimpel</span> Headshot

Zoe Strimpel

There is something fishy about the sustainability brigade

Continue reading

 

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In other news

Your sport briefing

Your essential reads

Inside Andrew’s disastrous time as Britain’s trade envoy

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the World Economic Forum in 2008

For a decade, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor roamed the globe as a British trade envoy, racking up a £15m taxpayer bill in the process. However, behind the grand title, the former Duke of York was a “diplomatic wrecking ball” who threw a pencil at an aide over golf clubs and screamed at staff at 6am. The Telegraph has spoken to aides, ministers and diplomats, who detail the catastrophic reality of his time in post.

This piece of revelatory journalism is only available to subscribers. Click below and sign up to read it.

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Erica Chennells and her husband, Simon, are looking to downsize to a bungalow... but it is proving difficult to find one

Why Britain’s bungalows are on the path to extinction

Ever since they sold their five-bedroom house in South Cambridgeshire, Erica Chennells and her husband, Simon, have been looking to buy a bungalow nearby to future-proof their later life. Yet this is proving easier said than done. “Bungalow bashing”, where the homes are demolished to make way for larger, more modern properties is squeezing Britain’s supply of single-storey houses, posing a new crisis for downsizers.

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‘Joining a dance crew for dads saved me from a breakdown’

On a Brighton dance floor, the middle-aged fathers of the Outta Puff Daddys shimmy to Jessie Ware – no booze, just brotherhood. For men like Michael Seaborne and leader Paul Jukes, the troupe offers more than choreography: it’s a lifeline, tackling depression, isolation and stigma through sweat, candour and camaraderie.

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Jenrick has been widely described as ‘Nigel Farage’s ultimate prize’

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Annabel Denham, our Senior Political Commentator, speaks to Robert Jenrick after he was unveiled as Reform’s economics spokesman. His dramatic defection to the party has sharpened the battle for the Right and Jenrick insists only Reform can stop a Left-wing coalition and restore credibility on immigration and the economy.

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Psychologists have shown that we can reliably measure ‘callous-unemotional traits’ in children as young as two

Highly dangerous children are more common than we all think

The word psychopath conjures up images of serial killers like Ted Bundy or fictional monsters like Hannibal Lecter. However, as the psychologist Leanne ten Brinke explains, the early signs can be spotted in children as young as two years old. Ten Brinke hears from parents who have been emotionally and physically terrorised by their children, and explores whether this behaviour is a result of nature or nurture – and why we must try to feel compassion towards these children.

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Seize the day

‘I went from a size 16 to a size eight by swapping wine for weight training’

Lucy Dartford before and after

‘Left alone with a new baby, I turned to alcohol and comfort eating to cope – until a stranger asked me a question that changed my life’

In 2017, Lucy Dartford’s partner walked out weeks after their daughter was born, triggering a spiral of postnatal depression, binge drinking and weight gain. Moving back with her parents, she felt broken. However, a chance invitation to a local boutique gym helped her start rebuilding her life. Here, she shares the changes she made – and how you can make them too.

Continue reading

Below are two more articles that I hope will improve your day:

 

Caption competition with...

Matt Cartoon
Matt Pritchett

Matt Pritchett

Cartoonist

 

Hello,

This week you have a lovely lady interrupting her husband’s reading to ask a question for the caption competition.

Congratulations to Terry Johnson on his winning entrybelow. Thank goodness the weather has at least gotten better.

Matt Cartoon

P.S. For an inside look at what inspires my weekly cartoons, you can sign up for my personal subscriber-exclusive newsletter here.

 

Your say

All rise

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...
Does England need its own national anthem? The question often arises after a sporting humiliation – insult to injury, I suppose – with the Six Nations providing the most recent catalyst.


 

“After witnessing England’s drubbing by Ireland,” wrote David Platts, “then watching Wales against Scotland, I was struck by the rousing and triumphant tones of the Welsh national anthem. The pride and enthusiasm with which every player sang the words were evident. The French national anthem is similarly powerful. These anthems play a small but important part in motivating the teams. By contrast, the anthem of the United Kingdom seems rather tired and uninspiring.”

Personally, I think England could do better. I wouldn’t be against Jerusalem as a replacement, though will continue my solitary campaign for Fairest Isle by Henry Purcell.


 

There is another way of looking at it, however. Perhaps we need to make more of what we’ve got. Sandra Tremlett told how she “recently attended two performances by the Ukrainian National Opera, and stood up at the end for the melodic national anthem, while the Ukrainian flag was waved on stage. It made me wonder – when did I last stand up for ours?”

Are the English just too restrained to perform their anthem convincingly? It’s all very well blaming the music, but self-conscious mumbling tends to spoil even the most stirring tune.


 

In any case, this seems to be a relatively recent development. Peter Rosie described a time when a more American approach prevailed: “Sandra’s question shines a spotlight on the changes in our society, as I can still recall standing for the anthem at the end of feature films at the cinema.”


 

It seems unimaginable now. Or does it? Jane Monk replied: “If Sandra would care to come and watch any production by Rainford Parish Church Amateur Dramatic Society, she would hear the national anthem played before the start of each show. Most people stand, though sadly one or two choose not to.”

Where (if anywhere) do you stand? Send your responses here and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, to 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.

 

Puzzles

Panagram

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 LIMBERING. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.

 

Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here.

Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow.

Chris Evans, Editor

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