mardi 1 septembre 2026

SAS chief: Army witch hunts put Britain at risk

How the balaclava took over Britain’s streets | Where to buy a beautiful home in France for £100k
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Britain’s most popular daily newsletter, read by more than 850,000

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Issue No. 555

Good morning.

Witch hunts against British special forces put the country at risk from Russia. That is the view of Brig Ed Butler, who has given Tom Cotterill, our Defence Editor, the first interview by a head of the SAS Regimental Association. In it, he accuses the Government of “not having the backs” of troops at a time when Andy Burnham is preparing to bring the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill back before Parliament within days.

Chris Evans, Editor

P.S. While you’re here, don’t miss our Summer Sale. Join us today and try four months of The Telegraph completely free of charge. If you’re already a subscriber, make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.


 

In today’s edition

How the balaclava took over Britain’s streets

Passengers begged the captain to turn back. Then he jumped overboard

Plus, where to buy a beautiful home in France for £100k

SAS chief: Army witch hunts put Britain at risk

Tom Cotterill

Tom Cotterill

Defence Editor

 

Andy Burnham will have a lot on his plate today as MPs return to Parliament.

Perhaps one of the first things on his agenda will be dealing with Labour’s controversial Troubles bill.

The Prime Minister is preparing to bring it back to Parliament within days as part of efforts to find answers for families whose relatives died during the conflict in Northern Ireland.

There are fears among members of the Armed Forces that the bill will reignite efforts to prosecute innocent soldiers for their actions in the Troubles decades ago.

In an unprecedented intervention, Brig Ed Butler, the new head of the Special Air Service Regimental Association, warned that such witch hunts would put the country at risk from Russia.

The former commanding officer of 22 SAS said recruitment into the special forces was suffering as a result of repeated legal action against its members.

Butler warned that some soldiers had been deciding not to apply for SAS selection because of “lawfare” and concerns about the persecution of soldiers after more recent operations.

Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, he said if the situation did not change, it had the potential to harm the Army’s most elite unit should it be called to fight in a major conflict with Russia.

He also accused the Government of “not having the backs” of personnel and warned that it was “seriously damaging morale” among serving troops.

“The very worst case scenario is you have a completely whittled-down special forces capability,” Butler warned.

“Because no one would be prepared to join it and do these high-risk, high-return operations if their back isn’t covered.”

This exclusive reporting is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading

 

Opinion

Charles Moore Headshot

Charles Moore

Burnham should listen to his conscience on assisted dying

The Prime Minister is wrong to stand aside on a matter of life and death

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">James Kirkup</span> Headshot

James Kirkup

There’s method in the madness of John Healey

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">Jake Wallis Simons</span> Headshot

Jake Wallis Simons

Kemi’s finally showing the ruthlessness that the Tories need

Continue reading

 
Matt Cartoon
 

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In other news

A man has been charged with murder following a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, which killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt.

Doctors carry out almost half of appointments remotely after a surge in video consultations, figures show.

Kemi Badenoch has sacked Sir Mel Stride as her shadow chancellor in a show of strength as she prepares for a possible early election.

Winchester and Canterbury could lose city status as part of Angela Rayner’s local government shake-up.

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football. The Argentina captain said the decision “hurt” him but the “time had come” to bring down the curtain on a storied career.

• A former gang leader has been found guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur almost 30 years after the rapper was shot dead in Las Vegas.

 

Essential reads

How the balaclava took over Britain’s streets

After emerging from the US rap scene, the sinister-looking face coverings are now ubiquitous in city centres across Britain. However, some councils are fighting back. Nottingham’s leaders, in an attempt to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour, are pressing ahead with a balaclava ban, signalling what many hope is a pushback against one of Broken Britain’s most menacing symbols.

Continue reading

 

Passengers begged the captain to turn back. Then he jumped overboard

Screams filled the cabin as the Filojet ferry pitched into the air and then slammed back into the sea, writes Memphis Barker. “Tell the captain to turn back,” passengers pleaded with crew members. However, he ploughed on and, a few minutes later, two huge waves capsized the vessel, leaving at least eight people dead and rescuers searching for 20 more. Investigators are analysing video footage to ascertain whether the captain, who jumped into the sea “without organising anything”, and seven other crew members will face criminal charges.

Continue reading

 

‘I travelled the “border” between North and South. Here’s what I learnt’

As a Northerner living in London, the North-South divide feels personal, writes Rosa Silverman. What does this invisible border really represent? To answer this question, I travelled 340 miles across the country, where I encountered stark prejudices, fierce pride and unexpected allegiances. However, where the boundary truly lies is far from simple.
Continue reading

 
Ruby Wax

Ruby Wax: ‘The voices in my head tell me I am an a--hole’

Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, OJ Simpson, Sarah Ferguson… Ruby Wax’s celebrity interviews have landed her in some difficult, even disturbing, positions. As she sets out on tour, she tells Helen Brown about the Wild West of 1990s showbiz, and her battles with depression and poor health.

Continue reading

 

Seize the day

Five British seaside towns that haven’t been spoilt

Earlier this summer, Telegraph Travel writers were dispatched to the country’s seaside towns to discover which are still worth visiting, and which to avoid. Their favourites ranged from a quintessentially English resort in Dorset to “a treasure chest of delights” north of the border. All are perfect for an end-of-summer September stroll.

Do you agree or disagree with our writers? Let us know in the comments section.
Continue reading

If you’re craving a change of scenery this morning, here is something you might find useful:

 

The expert view

‘I’m an oncologist. These simple habits can help reduce your cancer risk’

This piece is part of our new weekly series, bringing you expert health advice from professionals.

Prof Robert Thomas

 

While it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact causes of cancer, most of us know the basics when it comes to reducing our risk: eat plenty of fruit and veg, exercise and wear suncream. Research suggests there are other, more surprising, habits that can help reduce our risk.

One way is to keep moving every 30 minutes. In a recent study of more than 90,000 Britons, each additional hour spent sitting was associated with a 9 per cent higher risk of dying from cancer. Fortunately, replacing just one hour of sedentary time each day with light physical activity was associated with a 12 per cent lower risk of cancer death.

I encourage my patients to walk a lap of the office, climb a few flights of stairs or simply make a cup of tea. Those small bursts of movement soon add up. I also recommend eating a fermented food daily, such as live yogurt and kefir, flossing and heading outside first thing.

Making small, sustainable changes over time can collectively make a meaningful difference.
For subscribers only

 

Your say

What was that warble?

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:
From time to time I’ll come across a story about “bird whisperers”, latter-day St Francises blessed with the ability to communicate across the human-avian divide. What about birds that have become fluent in human, though? That was the question posed in a recent letter from John Naylor, in East Sussex: “Living near the coast, we find that our peaceful early mornings are often punctuated by the songs of gulls, pigeons or crows. Sometimes one can hear phrases. Yesterday, for example, the dominant call was: ‘Choose your own lipstick’.”


 

This is not, it transpires, an especially unusual occurrence. We’ve received a flurry of responses. Barbara Sanderson, for instance, reported: “The woodpigeons in our garden say: ‘Yep, love you I do; yep, love you I do; yep, love you I do.’ The collared doves, meanwhile, say: ‘I love you; I love you; I love you’.”


 

Pigeons appear to be particularly talkative. “The ones in our garden”, wrote Heather Thomson, “shout out: ‘You must be joking’.” Derek Wellman added: “Ours seem to be under the impression that our house is up for sale at an inflated price. They endlessly repeat: ‘Reduce it, stupid’.”


 

Mo Nessbach, meanwhile, explained: “Until recently a local cockerel would call: ‘In the morning.’ Once heard, it couldn’t be unheard. It made me chuckle on my early dog walk, but I doubt its near neighbours found it so amusing.”


 

Finally, Peter Goodwin appealed: “There is a bird close by us, as yet unseen, that cries what sounds to me to be: ‘I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!’ I would love to know its identity.”

What are the birds in your garden trying to tell 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.

 

On this day

1939 | The Second World War begins when Germany invades Poland (you can see how we covered this below)

1969 | Col Muammar Gaddafi leads a bloodless coup in Libya

1974 | The SR-71 Blackbird sets the record for the shortest flight between New York and London, taking one hour, 54 minutes, and 56.4 seconds

2021 | Cristiano Ronaldo breaks the record for goals scored in men’s international football

Birthdays: Zendaya (30), Carlos Sainz (32), Sir Barry Gibb (80)

Front Page

Plus, a council has told a grandmother to remove a street garden she has lovingly tended to for 25 years after her neighbours complained that it was attracting what?

1. Rats
2. Swathes of tourists
3. Wasps
4. Anti-social behaviour

Click on one of the above options to reveal the answer

 

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 LONGEVITY. 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 at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk.

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