The NHS will rely on private hospitals to ease a growing crisis under plans being considered by the Government.

The £1 billion rescue plan to clear waiting list backlogs would result in the independent sector funding the biggest expansion in healthcare since Sir Tony Blair’s premiership.

Cancer checks, surgery and intensive care for NHS patients would increasingly take place in private hospitals, under proposals submitted to the Treasury ahead of the Budget.

A source said the Government would “grab with both hands” any spare capacity to get NHS patients treated more quickly.

The NHS has been pleading for extra funds ahead of the Budget on Oct 30, but in his first speech as Health Secretary, Wes Streeting vowed to end “the begging bowl culture, where the only interaction the Treasury has with the Department of Health is ‘we need more money for X, Y and Z’”.

Under the plans, submitted by private hospitals, the independent sector could treat up to 2.5 million more patients, with some treatment starting in weeks.

The private sector investment would be used to build a string of diagnostic centres for NHS patients across the country, tackling delays in cancer diagnosis, and to develop new surgery units and intensive care facilities.

It comes as NHS waiting lists in England stand at 7.64 million, with warnings that the health service is “hurtling into crisis” as winter approaches. When Labour won the election, Mr Streeting pronounced the NHS “broken”. Since then, waiting lists have risen, with little progress made on pledges to carry out an extra 40,000 appointments.

The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), which represents private hospitals, including groups such as Bupa, Circle Health Group and Care UK, has written to the Chancellor and the Health Secretary saying that more than £1 billion of private sector capacity could be invested into facilities for NHS patients.

Mr Streeting is understood to be very interested in the proposals, which would see the private sector committing to a major expansion, using its own staff and both existing and new facilities.

Ahead of the election Mr Streeting said a new Government would “go further than New Labour ever did” in use of the private sector for NHS patients.

“If you want to understand my appetite for reform, think New Labour on steroids,” he said in a speech in May.

The scale of the expansion being considered would surpass moves made by the Blair government, which first introduced use of the private sector by the NHS.

Under Sir Tony and Gordon Brown, the Labour government funded a network of 30 private clinics carrying out operations and tests for NHS patients between 2003 and 2010.

It also introduced patient choice, allowing patients to opt for care in a private hospital, but the drive divided the party and lost momentum.

The new plans, now under discussion with the independent sector, would vastly extend this, with private companies having the chance to win a greater share of the market.

It follows an independent investigation of the NHS by Lord Darzi, which last month warned that the health service was “starved” of capital, which was badly affecting its productivity with too little diagnostic equipment and too few beds and facilities.

Under the plans, investment in the expansion of the health service would come from private facilities.

Around 1 million appointments for NHS patients at private units would be released over the next year from existing capacity, starting within weeks.

In addition, around 1.5 million more operations and appointments would be offered from new and expanded facilities which could start to be deployed within months.

2.5 million extra patients treated privately

This would mean around 7.5 million NHS patients a year treated in private hospitals, up from around 5 million now.

In the letter to Rachel Reeves and Mr Streeting, David Hare, chief executive of the IHPN, said that its investment would mean new facilities could be deployed within months and staffed without drawing staff from the existing NHS workforce.

The network said providers would recruit from abroad and hire staff who have left the NHS, as well as training some staff through apprenticeships.

Previous attempts to use independent hospitals have been limited to some of the simpler procedures, such for cataracts, and hip and knee operations.

However, the new plans would mean independent hospitals would expand their capacity, with some building intensive care units, in order to take on a wider range of cases.

At present, one in seven private hospitals have such facilities, limiting their ability to safely take on complex cases.

The proposals would also lead to a new wave of community diagnostic centres, carrying out tests for diseases such as cancer, which would only treat NHS patients, but be run by the private sector.

‘We want to grab it with both hands’

The plans aim to ease short-term problems facing the health service, with capacity that can be built within the next year.

The IHPN said that “well over £1 billion of private sector capital” could be invested in care for NHS patients, if a long-term deal was agreed.

A Government source said: “If there is any potential extra capacity to help us cut waiting lists faster and get more NHS patients treated, we would want to grab it with both hands.”

Mr Hare told The Telegraph: “When Labour was last in government one of the ways in which it got NHS waiting times down was to make good use of available private sector capacity paid at NHS prices and by asking the private sector to deploy capital on new services including surgical and diagnostic care.

“With NHS waiting lists now at record highs and the public finances stretched, the forthcoming Budget represents a real opportunity to make good on the government’s pre-election commitments of working in partnership with the private sector over the long-term to use the capital, capacity and capability which is there in the sector to improve services for NHS patients.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “This government is steadfast in its commitment to the founding principles of the NHS, which will always be free at the point of use.

“Where there is spare capacity in the private sector which can be used to treat patients, on NHS terms, free at the point of use, we will use it to cut waiting lists.”

Sue Gray is taking a break amid doubts over her new role after her resignation as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.

Ms Gray was ousted by Sir Keir on Sunday after she lost a power struggle at the heart of No 10 and has been replaced by Morgan McSweeney.

She has been moved to a part-time role as the Prime Minister’s envoy for the “regions and nations”, which has involved her accepting a pay cut.

But Downing Street has now confirmed that Ms Gray will not attend the first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions in Scotland on Friday.

The Telegraph understands she is taking a “short break” before formally starting in the role and will instead be taking up the post in the coming weeks.

Downing Street sources pointed to Ms Gray’s resignation statement at the weekend in which she acknowledged commentary around her position “risked becoming a distraction” to the Government.

A No 10 spokesman said: “The appointment has been agreed and the focus is as set out in previous statements, and those further details will follow on gov.uk shortly.”

Ms Gray was subject to hostile briefings during her time as Sir Keir’s chief of staff, which critics have noted came to an end before the Prime Minister could reach 100 days in office.

Her salary of £170,000, some £3,000 more than Sir Keir’s own pay, was leaked to the BBC, while there were also complaints from government figures about her level of influence.

Ms Gray said as she stood down: “It has been an honour to take on the role of chief of staff, and to play my part in the delivery of a Labour government. Throughout my career, my first interest has always been public service.

“However, in recent weeks it has become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change.

“It is for that reason I have chosen to stand aside, and I look forward to continuing to support the Prime Minister in my new role.”

On Thursday, the Guido Fawkes website reported Ms Gray was pushing for a severance pay as well as a significant salary in her new role.

The blog claimed the Cabinet Office was resisting her demands, and the Government refused to tell Guido Fawkes what severance Ms Gray would receive or what her salary will be.

Sir Keir said he was “delighted” that Ms Gray would continue as his envoy for nations and regions, saying she had already played a “vital role” in this regard.

The first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions will see the Prime Minister welcome more than £24 billion in private investment for green energy projects across the country.

These will include environmentally friendly schemes spanning Aberdeen, Suffolk and Yorkshire, which the Government hailed as a “huge vote of confidence in the UK”.

Sir Keir said: “Today’s investments are a huge vote of confidence in this government and our relentless focus to drive growth across the UK.

“Whether you’re in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England – we are creating the conditions for businesses to thrive, and our International Investment Summit will be a springboard for every part of the UK to be an engine of innovation and investment.

“Today I’m convening the first ever Council of Nations and Regions, because it is when we work together in the spirit of genuine partnership, that we can deliver the real change people want to see and improve opportunities for all.”

The Princess of Wales has told Southport emergency workers they had supported people through their “darkest times” and acknowledged the experience must have taken “its toll”.

The Princess joined her husband, the Prince of Wales, in the Merseyside town to meet the families of three girls killed in July’s knife attack as well as those involved in the aftermath.

The visit marked her first public engagement since completing cancer treatment and the couple’s first joint outing since Trooping the Colour in June.

It was the first time the Princess has spoken publicly since stepping back from the spotlight in January for major abdominal surgery followed by chemotherapy.

The Prince and Princess spent 30 minutes with each of the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, who were stabbed to death at a Taylor-Swift themed dance class at the Hart Space Community Centre on July 29.

The couple also met privately with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was stabbed in the neck, back and arms as she fought to protect her class.

They then walked to Southport community centre to meet emergency responders and the mental health practitioners offering long-term support for those affected.

Seated alongside each other on a bench in the garden, the Prince and Princess asked those gathered how they had coped in the aftermath of the attack.

The Princess said the emergency personnel, from the ambulance, fire and police services, had supported the victims through their “darkest times”.

She said: “For you to witness that, you need support yourselves,” adding that the experience must have taken “its toll”.

Asked how the bereaved families were coping, the Princess replied: “They’re OK. They’re managing it differently. All the families are so different. Individually too they are managing it and processing this tragic event in very different ways but they’re getting support from families and officers and things like that.

“I think being able to have opportunities to be able to speak to different people in the community about the experience and drawing that together and sharing their experience I think is massively helpful.”

She told the first responders: “I can’t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day. On behalf of them, thank you.”

The Prince told the emergency workers they were “heroes” and “true professionals”.

Phil Garrigan, the chief fire officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, revealed that the Princess was so moved by what she had heard that she broke off from the engagement to go inside and hug the crews who described their anxiety and the toll that the experience had taken on their mental health.

“She could see the emotion in them and could see it was difficult for them to relay their feelings and to say how impactful events have been,” he said.

The unannounced visit was initially billed as a solo public engagement for the Prince but shortly before it began, it was confirmed that the Princess had decided to join him in order to show her support for the community.

Kensington Palace said in September that following the end of her chemotherapy treatment, the Princess would make a gradual return to a light programme of public engagements, subject to how she was feeling.

Both the Prince and Princess are understood to have felt it was important to visit Southport almost three months after the attack to show the community that it has not been forgotten and that they will continue to offer their support.

Just hours after the killings, the Prince and Princess shared a personal message of support for those affected.

“As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through,” they said.

Their Royal Foundation later made a donation to the National Police and Wellbeing Service to help fast track psychological and physical support for emergency responders.

The provision of mental health support for the emergency services has become one of the key themes of the Prince’s work following his stint as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance between March 2015 and July 2017.

During a visit to Wales Air Ambulance last month, he told the pilots and crew: “I made sure all the first responders after Southport were getting any help they needed. It’s important you guys feel supported at the right moment.”

It comes after the King interrupted his summer break to meet the bereaved families and survivors on Aug 20.

The monarch received a rapturous welcome as he met emergency service personnel, faith leaders and some of those who opened their doors to first responders in the aftermath of the attack and subsequent riots.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, was charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder following the atrocity.

He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Oct 25 for a pre-trial preparation hearing.

The Princess has been seen twice in public this year, at Trooping the Colour in June and at Wimbledon in July.

On Sept 9, she released a personal video in which she revealed that she had finished her course of chemotherapy and that her focus was on staying cancer free.

Since then, she has appeared in the court circular twice after holding private meetings for her early years project and her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.

On Oct 2, the Princess was photographed back at work for the first time since ending her cancer treatment when she met 16-year-old Liz Hatton, who has a rare and aggressive form of cancer, at Windsor Castle.

Liz, a budding photographer, was given rare permission to shoot pictures behind the scenes of an investiture, as part of her “bucket wish” list, and met the Prince and Princess privately.

As she continues to rebuild her strength, the Princess is hoping to join her family on Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph and to attend her carol service in December.

Elon Musk has unveiled his long-promised robotaxi – called Cybercab – as the electric car boss bets on self-driving ride-hailing cars to revive his company’s fortunes.

At a much-hyped event in California on Thursday the Tesla chief executive arrived on stage in one of the new robotaxis, which has no steering wheel or pedals.

He told the excited crowd that Tesla will begin production on the new cars in 2026. 

“The autonomous future is here,” Mr Musk declared.

The two-seater vehicles, which have butterfly-style wing doors, will be available for customers to buy for less than $30,000 (£23,000), and will cost only 20 cents a mile to run, he said.

“The vast majority of the time, cars are just doing nothing,” he said on stage at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank. “But if they’re autonomous, they could be used five times more, maybe 10 times more.”

The announcement comes after years of delays to his promised autonomous taxi service.

Only a handful of investors and influencers were invited to the demonstration in person, although it was live-streamed on Mr Musk’s X social network, formerly known as Twitter.

A few people at the event were given rides in the new vehicle.

The Tesla boss also announced the Robovan — which he said could carry up to 20 passengers, or be used to move goods.

Mr Musk has repeatedly claimed Tesla is close to launching a robotic taxi service, first predicting in 2019 that it would produce operational vehicles by 2020.

That date has repeatedly slipped. In April, Mr Musk promised the company would reveal its plans on August 8, but in July pushed the date back again.

At the time, he said: “Requested what I think is an important design change to the front.”

Tesla already sells electric cars which feature a suite of autonomous and advanced driver assistance features. Its cars in the US include technology dubbed “Full-Self Driving”, which allows the vehicles to drive themselves on most roads with human monitoring.

For years, technology companies have been pursuing developing self-driving taxis, which will operate similar to ride-hailing apps like Uber.

Businesses such as Google-backed Waymo and Cruise have already built and deployed small fleets of self-driving cars, picking up passengers across multiple cities in the US.

However, these cars have already run into difficulties, with complaints from locals that self-driving cars can clog up traffic with erratic driving. In November, Cruise was forced to recall its vehicles after one was involved in a serious accident where a pedestrian was dragged under one of its vehicles.

Like Tesla’s other vehicles, the Cybercab will rely on cameras and an on-board computer to drive the car, eschewing more expensive Lidar sensors and lasers used by some rivals.

Yet even before launching a robotaxi, Tesla has faced questions over the safety of its autonomous driving features on its passenger cars – although Mr Musk has insisted its features will make Tesla’s cars safer than an average driver.

A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that Tesla’s cars had been involved in 542 crashes when driving its Autopilot or self-driving systems, resulting in 14 deaths.

Mr Musk has pursued launching a self-driving taxi service after electric vehicle (EV) sales stalled around the world. Tesla’s electric car sales fell across the first six months of 2024, as consumer demand for EVs fails to live up to expectations owing to their higher costs.

Despite emerging as the Western world’s leading electric carmaker, Tesla’s market value is down around 40pc from a high point in 2021, when the company was worth more than $1 trillion.

While its rivals have been running robotaxi services for longer, some analysts say Tesla’s manufacturing capacity and vast amount of data gathered by its passenger vehicles should allow it to expand more rapidly.

“Like Waymo, Tesla is likely to launch its robotaxi service city by city; but unlike Waymo, it should be able to scale much faster,” said Tasha Keeney, an analyst at Tesla shareholder Ark Invest.

Mr Musk, meanwhile, has pegged investors’ hopes to its self-driving future. He said in July: “The value of Tesla overwhelmingly is autonomy. So I recommend anyone who doesn’t believe that Tesla would solve vehicle autonomy should not hold Tesla stock. They should sell their Tesla stock.”  

Portugal is planning to become a haven for young adults by giving them a decade-long tax break in an attempt to curb a brain drain.

Under plans proposed by the country’s centre-Right government, workers under 35 would be exempt from paying income tax for the first year of their careers before receiving progressive discounts for the next decade.

Luis Montenegro, the prime minister, said: “Our goal is to really increase our ability to retain talent, to keep our young people in Portugal, ensuring that fewer of them leave and that those who do can return.”

Portugal has struggled with a “brain drain” since the global financial crisis in 2008. In the period since, 360,000 young people between 15 and 35 have left in order to find work – one third of all emigrants during this period.

In a bid to prevent this, after a year of living income tax free young workers would receive a 75 per cent tax break for the next two years. This would be followed by a 50 per cent tax exemption in years five to seven, dropping to 25 per cent in years eight to 10.

But the scheme may not get off the ground because Mr Montenegro’s ruling alliance, led by his centre-Right PSD party, does not have a majority in Portugal’s unicameral parliament.

Mr Montenegro was elected in March after a narrow victory over the Socialist Party, which was called after Antonio Costa, the former prime minister, resigned over corruption allegations.

He has ruled out working closely with Chega, an upstart populist anti-immigration party that won 50 out of 230 seats in the Assembly of the Republic – a record for the far-Right. Andre Ventura, Chega’s leader, has expressed support for a low-tax regime for young people.

Pedro Nuno Santos, the socialists’ leader, has not yet revealed whether his party will back the budget, but it has negotiated changes to some of the government’s proposals, including bigger tax breaks for the lower earners.

Mr Santos is against the government’s plan to reduce corporation tax for businesses.

A Nigerian pirate who lost his leg in a shoot-out with Denmark’s navy will have his new prosthesis funded by the taxpayer as part of a special residential deal granted by the government.

Lucky Frances, who lost a gunfight with the Danish navy in 2021, will receive an education plan, guidance on employment and an “integration contract” to ensure that he becomes a productive member of society.

The Right-wing Danish People’s Party (DF) said the decision mocked the country’s migration and security policy.

Mikkel Bjorn, the DF’s integration spokesman, said: “This is absolutely absurd. That man should never have been in Denmark and to imagine that he can now be meaningfully integrated in Denmark is completely beyond the pale.”

Frances’ run-in with the navy has gripped Denmark since 2021 when he was severely wounded in a firefight with the Danish frigate Esbern Snare in the Gulf of Guinea.

Four of his fellow pirates were killed in the confrontation, but Frances himself received medical treatment, including the amputation of his bullet-riddled leg. Three other survivors were set free by the Danish navy.

As a result of his severe injuries, Frances was brought back to Denmark, where he recovered before being found guilty of endangering Danish lives. Nonetheless, he was spared jail and later claimed asylum in Denmark.

His application sparked a lengthy and complex government process that culminated in him receiving a residence permit and an integration plan.

This includes a language programme, so that Frances can become fluent in Danish, as well as assistance in finding a job as an amputee, BT, a local news outlet, reported.

‘Repatriation benefits’

Frances must also sign an “integration contract” that “contains a number of set goals that Lucky must meet in order to be integrated and otherwise continue to receive his self-support and repatriation benefits”, the news outlet reported. He will also receive an allowance for his new leg.

Frances’s case is so far estimated to have cost the public 4.2 million Danish kroner (£300,000) in addition to his medical bills, according to DR, another local media outlet.

The former pirate said in 2023 that he initially wanted to recover in Denmark before returning to Nigeria, but later changed his mind and applied for asylum despite his daughter’s hesitations.

“Going back to Africa will not be good for me,” he said. “I have thought about my situation. I have also spoken to my family and explained to them about my physical condition. They are okay with me applying for asylum, even if my daughter is not completely satisfied.”

“This shows that [famous Danish comedy writer] Erik Balling’s Denmark is alive and well. It looks like a satirical side story in an Olsen Banden film,” Steffen Larsen, a spokesman for Denmark’s Liberal Alliance, said.

“After we have shot the man’s leg off in battle, we must then send him on a work trial and teach him Danish. Good luck with that.”

They are the soaring human towers that have become the pride of Catalonia over hundreds of years of carefully honed tradition.

Hundreds of people compete in the region every year to create the highest peak in a death-defying tradition stretching back generations.

So when the town of Vilafranca claimed victory in the sport’s most coveted tournament on Sunday, some may have been a little surprised to find a pensioner from south-east London at the base of the “castell”.

Thousands packed into Tarragona’s old bullring to watch the historic event on Sunday for the Concurs de Castells tournament.

Michael, who was born in Catford but lives in Bromley, has been partaking in the sport for 18 years. He told The Telegraph: “The opportunities this has given me as an Englishman are unbelievable.

“How else could an OAP from Bromley get to perform in front of 100,000 at the Camp Nou stadium?”

Michael admitted that he is the unlikeliest member of Catalonia’s Castellers de Vilafranca, an association dedicated to building castells (human towers), not least because he is an ardent Brexiteer who does not speak a word of Catalan.

The London-based pensioner fell into Catalonia’s most traditional sport in 2006 as the Vilafranca group was short on numbers.

Convinced that he was not the right fit, Michael initially dismissed the offer to join Vilafranca, but they had different ideas.

“I said I don’t speak Catalan but they put me in the base of the tower,” Michael told The Telegraph.

Fast-forward nearly two decades and Michael travels the world more than a dozen times a year, helping the group to glory across the globe.

His latest escapade came in Tarragona’s old bullring in the Concurs de Castells tournament on Sunday, which culminates 200 years of fierce local rivalry every two years.

His team, the Castellers de Vilafranca, has won 13 out of 15 of the last championships at the Tarragona event.

But Sunday’s competition went down to the wire after the team failed to complete three out of their first four towers.

In the competition, hundreds of men and women are used to form the foundation of the human towers, which measure up to 10-people high, and are often crowned by children as young as five years old.

Known as enxanetes, the children clamber up like monkeys and slide down the adults’ legs in order to dismount.

Naturally, all roles in the human tower are important, but Michael, who is 6ft 1in, plays a particularly crucial part as one of the key pressure points at the base of the tower.

That means Michael is forced to withstand both a lot of physical and mental pressure.

“When the tower starts wobbling and you hear the crowd gasp, you just think ‘please let no one fall on me today’,” he told The Telegraph.

Vilafranca’s has a strong rivalry with Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, another human tower group, though incidences of murders and gloating over accidents by delivering coffins to each other have been left behind in recent decades.

Nowadays digital calculations of weight and pressures and modern fitness regimes are the order of the day.

“We normally have falls only 20 percent of the time, but at the championship you wheel out the hardest constructions and take risks; you’re there to win it,” Michael explained.

Michael was not always into building human towers, having travelled all over Spain and Italy in search of “weird Catholic festivals” and the latest opera concert.

But despite most of his interests being rooted in European culture, Michael insisted that it is “not about loving Europe”.

“The thing is I’m a Brexiteer… it’s about not becoming one big, grey blob controlled by an unelected government. I love cultural differences; they’re what make us great and I am passionate about Catalonia,” Michael explained.

Despite Lorraine, his wife, describing her husband’s passion as “madness”, Michael said he has no intention of stopping.

“There are 80-year-olds who still take part, although in less strenuous positions than mine,” he said.

Even if he wanted to, Vilafranca would not let him go anyway, Michael said as he has become a kind of mascot for the club as its sole Englishman.

“We talk in English because as they’re all Catalan nationalists, they won’t let me speak Spanish and I’m too old to learn Catalan. The days are too long with dinner and drinks until midnight for me to take on anything new.”

Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te pledged on Thursday to “resist annexation” in the face of growing military and economic pressure from Beijing to assert its territorial claims over the East Asian democracy.

The Chinese Communist Party claims the island as its own territory even though it has never ruled there. In recent years it has stepped up air and sea military drills as well as trade sanctions to try to bring Taiwan and its 23.5 million-strong population under its control.

“I will also uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty,” Mr Lai told the Taiwanese public and foreign dignitaries during a keynote speech on Thursday to mark Taiwan’s National Day.

He urged China to join Taiwan in contributing to “peace, security, and prosperity” in the region and across the globe.

“As we stand here today, international tensions are on the rise, and each day countless innocents are suffering injuries or losing their lives in conflict.

“We hope that China will live up to the expectations of the international community, that it will apply its influence and work with other countries toward ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East,” he said.

President Lai’s address had been highly anticipated. Beijing views the new Taiwanese president with contempt and has denounced him as a “separatist”.

On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry condemned Mr Lai for being “hell-bent” on independence.

The speech “exposed his hell-bent position on independence and his sinister intention to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait for political self-interest,” Mao Ning, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

Ahead of the speech, the United States urged “restraint” from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and warned that Beijing could use Mr Lai’s remarks as a “pretext” for taking military action.

“We see no justification for a routine annual celebration to be used in this manner,” said a senior official in the Biden administration.

Mr Lai’s address was widely viewed as robust but measured.

He reiterated his government’s position that China has no right to represent Taiwan, stressing that the Republic of China, the island’s formal name, and the People’s Republic of China are “not subordinate to each other”.

But he also struck a conciliatory note, offering to coordinate with Beijing on “addressing climate change, combating infectious diseases, and maintaining regional security to pursue peace and mutual prosperity for the well-being of the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.”

Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, told The Telegraph that Mr Lai had taken a “pragmatic tone” and made “reasonable cross-Strait statements” while avoiding “snarky” lines and “cheap jabs at China” that he had used in the past.

China ‘reacts negatively to Taiwan no matter what’

However, a reaction from Beijing was likely as it “reacts negatively no matter what”, he said.

“The speech from today didn’t really give China much ammo but Lai’s past comments have so I’m more inclined to think we are still going to see some sort of reaction from the People’s Republic of China.”

Beijing’s threats towards Taiwan and its increasingly aggressive expansion across the East and South China Seas have created friction with Western nations, including the UK.

David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, is expected to visit China next week, in what sources told Reuters was an attempt to seek less confrontational ties with the world’s second-largest economy and to resume trade and investment talks.

British officials say the Government wants to recalibrate the more hawkish approach of the previous Conservative administration, which described China as an “epoch-defining challenge”.

However, the Global Times, a Chinese state media outlet, accused the UK of having a “contradictory mindset” by eyeing deeper engagement while also seeking to suppress China.

Mr Lammy was planning to visit in a bid to reset ties while the head of MI5 was “hyping the China threat”, it said, referring to Ken McCallum’s comments this week that China posed a significant risk, particularly in obtaining sensitive information.

Mr McCallum called for a nuanced approach to relations with Beijing during his annual update on threats faced by the UK.

“The UK-China economic relationship supports UK growth, which underpins our security. And there are also risks to be managed,” he said.

A Labour MP has backed a report calling for laser light shows to replace fireworks on Bonfire Night.

More than 60 per cent of the public would support fully or partially replacing Nov 5 fireworks with alternatives such as lasers, drones or “silent” displays because of the impact on animals and the environment, according to the report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), a think tank.

The SMF has recommended new restrictions on the noise levels and size of fireworks as well as giving councils powers to designate “firework-free zones” and to put on alternative laser light or drone shows rather than traditional pyrotechnics.

In a foreword to the report, Andrew Pakes, an MP who has been campaigning on the issue, said the proposals offered “practical steps for reducing the harm fireworks cause, without taking away from the joy they bring”.

“Around the world, countries are starting to use alternatives like drones, light shows and quieter fireworks, proving that we can celebrate in ways that are kinder to animals, safer for people and better for the environment,” he added.

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of those surveyed believed the UK should stop using traditional fireworks and use alternatives, compared with just 10 per cent who wanted to maintain the status quo.

A quarter (25 per cent) believed the UK should keep traditional fireworks while sometimes using alternatives. 

A further 42 per cent believe there should be greater use of alternatives and less use of fireworks, though they should be retained.

The report said England and Wales should follow the example of Scotland where councils can designate “firework-free zones” in areas where the pyrotechnics are likely to have a greater impact on animals, the environment and vulnerable people.

It recommended that once these were set up, local councils should organise their own alternative displays and draw on examples such as Japan where drone displays, light shows and “quiet fireworks” are incorporated into traditional shows.

The report’s authors said this would help introduce the alternatives and their use to the public, which the SMF polling indicated would in turn increase their popularity.

The recommended tougher regulation would see the maximum noise level of all traditional fireworks reduced from 120 decibels to 90 decibels, that would be equivalent to cutting it down from the sound of a thunderclap to a truck in traffic.

The report also proposed limiting the sale of consumer fireworks to indoor or handheld fireworks or those designed for use in a confined outdoor space, and only to specialised or licensed shops.

Dani Payne, SMF senior researcher, said: “The overwhelming public support for alternative firework displays, as revealed by our research, shows that there is a real opportunity here for the Government to listen to the public’s concerns and take steps toward better, safer firework use.”

The SMF was associated with the Conservatives in the 1990s – and was sometimes called John Major’s favourite think tank. 

In the late 1990s, it moved closer to New Labour and was associated with the party’s public service reform.

An anonymous erotica writer has sent “grubby” romance stories to residents of a Yorkshire street and asked for money in return.

The mystery writer has sent three letters to most addresses on Abbott Street in Hexthorpe, Doncaster in recent days.

In the 1,700-word correspondence, the author tells the apparently fictitious story of the “Reverend” and his lover, a parishioner called “Contralto”.

The story features some racy details, but the romance is marred by murder.

One recipient of the “dark” tale said it left her slightly scared. Katarina, who did not give her second name, said she considered calling the police.

She told Yorkshire Live: “The first one I found amusing, thinking someone had sent it as a joke. I brought it into work and myself and the staff had a good giggle about it.

“Then the second was delivered and I found it dark, to say the least, and if I’m honest it did get me thinking if it was someone trying to confess to something in a strange sort of way.”

She added: “I wasn’t aware that they had been delivered to almost everyone on the street as I work long hours as part of the management team in a care home.

“It did scare me a little, the second letter, and I was a little worried about it. I was debating speaking to police about it and then a friend shared a post on Facebook about them so that put me at ease.”

An individual claiming to be the author of the story later wrote anonymously to Yorkshire Live saying they had spent £50 on stamps and envelopes to deliver the letters. They made the local newspaper aware of a GoFundMe page that had been set up so they could recoup the money and fund subsequent postage costs.

At the time of writing, a total of £5 had been raised out of the £300 overall target, with just one anonymous donor having contributed.

The email to the local newspaper from a named address, TheDoncasterLetters, read: “The number of letters that I send will depend on my ability to afford the ever-increasing cost of printing, envelopes and postage.

“I wouldn’t like to give too much away on how many are to come, but they won’t carry on forever. I hope people enjoy receiving them while they last.

“Nobody has to donate anything, and I admit that the appeal has been launched more in hope than expectation. But I like the wild and unfounded optimism of it.”

They added: “Admittedly, The Doncaster Letters do depict a couple of slightly grubby sex scenes early on, and I’m sorry if anyone is offended by that (this is the reason why they’re addressed to ‘The Resident Adult’), but I hope that people will ultimately see that the wider themes of the story are much more edifying and honourable.

“My further desire is that people find the tone of the early letters, and the amount of innuendo when describing those scenes, more amusing than threatening.

“If I do become aware that people are genuinely distressed/worried by the letters, then they will stop. But that would seem a shame, particularly at this early juncture.”

Nicola Sturgeon has said she felt a “sense of affinity” with Boris Johnson while reading his recollections of dealing with the Covid pandemic in his memoir.

The former first minister said she empathised with his assertion that he felt an “almost unbearable burden of responsibility” for “every Covid decision”.

Writing a review of the book in The New Statesman, she said it was “not as bad as I first thought”, adding that “if the book surprises at all, it is on the positive side”.

But she bridled at a section in which the former prime minister criticised her over Scotland’s Covid response, saying it was “my supposedly pursed lips and furrowed brow that get the treatment”.

In a jibe that referred to the partygate scandal, Ms Sturgeon added: “Perhaps he thinks I should have created more of a party atmosphere.”

The 784-page book, titled Unleashed, looks back on Mr Johnson’s time as prime minister – from 2019 to 2022 – including Brexit and the pandemic.

He previously told the Covid public inquiry that he had a “friendly” relationship with Ms Sturgeon. However, it later heard evidence that she had called him a “clown” and was offended by his “utter incompetence.”

Ms Sturgeon, whose own memoirs are due to be published next year, said Mr Johnson’s book contained “surprising moments of candour” but these were “swept away on a tide of shameless self-justification”.

She wrote: “As I read his account of the almost unbearable burden of responsibility he felt for every Covid decision (so did I), or the devastation of having to ‘cancel’ Christmas in 2020 (one of my own lowest points), I felt a sense of affinity with him.”

But she added: “Then I remembered that this was rarely how he seemed at the time. In a section of the book about his early days as London mayor, he talks about feeling as though he was ‘skating over the intricacies of the job’.

“To be frank, that is how he always seemed to me, even during Covid.” She accused the former prime minister of “displaying something of a messiah complex”, claiming he had failed to take responsibility for his own failures.

She added: “His resignation came about not as a result of anything he did, but because everyone had it in for him.” However, she said the book overall is an “easy” and “snappy” read, despite its length, and “dare I say, it’s enjoyable”.

Ms Sturgeon concluded: “While this one wasn’t quite the ordeal I feared, I wouldn’t want to make a habit of reading Boris Johnson.”

A man who once dubbed himself “a rich kid of Instagram” is being sought by police after allegedly breaching bail conditions.

Jack Watkin, 25, claimed on social media in 2016 to own a £1.7 million fleet of expensive cars, to have access to his father’s private jet and to have been selected to appear on a TV show.

In an interview he gave when he was 17, he said: “I know my life is different to other teenagers because I’m very blessed. I don’t have to worry about jobs and I have unlimited funds.

“But my life is not easy. My dad has worked very hard to make sure I can have all these nice things.”

He boasted of a car collection that included a Rolls Royce, a Bentley, two Mercedes, a Range Rover and a Porsche.

‘Known to visit London on regular basis’

Mr Watkin also claimed in 2016 that his family’s wealth had earned them the nickname, “the British Kardashians”.

But Cheshire Constabulary has appealed for the public’s help to find him after he allegedly breached his bail conditions for a recent charge of fraud.

A spokesman for the force said: “Police are appealing for information from the public to help trace a wanted man from Alderley Edge.

“Jack Watkin is wanted on breach of bail conditions. The 25 year-old is described as white, around 5ft 9ins tall, of medium build, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Mr Watkin resides in Alderley Edge, but is known to visit London on a regular basis.”

The BBC Weather app has incorrectly forecast hurricane force winds and record temperatures across England.

Wind speeds of 15,345mph were predicted in Oxford Circus, central London, while temperatures of 404C were forecast in Nottingham.

BBC Weather said it was were working to fix some “data issues” on its app and website, and apologised for the inaccuracy.

Commenting on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, host Nick Robinson said: “If, like me, you’re one of those people who reaches for your phone first thing in the morning to look at the BBC News app or BBC Weather, you might have noticed that there are hurricane force winds in Oxford Circus.

“Let me just reassure you, there aren’t, because I’m in Oxford Circus. I’m afraid there’s just a little problem with the data on the BBC Weather app, which suggests that the wind speed is 350mph – which I think is something of an overestimate – but it is being dealt with, rest assured.”

Co-host Emma Barnett added that Robinson was providing “a live debunking of misinformation”.

It came as Hurricane Milton brought winds of up to 120mph as it made landfall in Florida, causing nearly three million households to lose power.

Matt Taylor, a BBC presenter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Don’t be alarmed folks – Hurricane Milton hasn’t made it to us here in the UK! There’s been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online. Folk are working to solve the issue.”

In another post, presenter Simon King said: “Oops, don’t be alarmed by some of our BBC Weather app data this morning. Be assured there won’t be 14,408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404C.”

The actual weather forecast for England includes rain and drizzle in the south and blustery showers near the east coast, BBC weather said in an updated forecast.

A BBC spokesman said: “We’re aware of an issue with our third-party supplier, which means our weather app and website are wrongly predicting hurricane wind speeds everywhere.

“That is incorrect, and we apologise. We’re working with our supplier to fix this as soon as possible.”

The strongest-ever wind speed recorded in the UK was 173mph at Cairngorm summit, Scotland, on March 20 1986, according to the Met Office.

The maximum wind speed ever recorded on earth was 253mph on April 4 1996 in Barrow Island Australia, the World Meteorological Organisation’s extreme weather archives record.

Earth’s wind speeds are not the Solar System’s strongest. Jupiter has gales of around 900mph, Saturn winds peak at 1,100mph and wind speeds on Neptune reach 1,600mph.

The BBC was contacted for comment.

Vladimir Putin cultivated Donald Trump as a “source” to manipulate the United States, a former head of the CIA has said.

Leon Panetta, who also served as defence secretary under Barack Obama, added that there were “real questions” over Trump’s loyalty to the United States because of his relationship with the Russian president.

Trump recently said they had “a very good relationship”, while a new book claimed the former president had secretly sent Covid-19 tests, which were in limited supply, to Russia for Putin’s personal use in 2020.

Speaking on the One Decision podcast, Mr Panetta said: “To have a president basically engaging with an adversary, who knows what deals are made… the mere fact a former president of the United States is having regular conversations with our primary adversary raises real questions about where is his basic loyalty. Is it really to the United States of America or is it to Donald Trump?”

The book claimed Trump and Putin have spoken by phone at least seven times since the former left the White House in 2021.

‘A tyrant and our enemy’

“Why would you possibly — someone who wants to be president of the United States — have a continuing relationship with someone who is a tyrant and is basically our enemy.”

Mr Panetta described Putin, a former KGB spy, as a “bad guy”, adding that the Russian president is “not to be trusted”.

“That’s what worries me,” the former CIA boss added. “I think Donald Trump in many ways is naive about who Putin really is.

“He [Putin] knows how to work a source and he’s got a source that is very near the top in this country, he, himself is going to engage that source.

“And that really is what the bottom line is, is that Trump has turned into a source for Putin, and somebody who can help him manipulate what he wants to get done.”

Mr Panetta went on to accuse Trump of trusting Russian intelligence more than US intelligence.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, denied that the former president had maintained a regular speaking relationship with Putin.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, also denied it, saying: “As for the calls, that’s not true, it didn’t happen.”

The accusations come after Bob Woodward, the veteran American reporter who broke the Watergate scandal, said a former Trump aide had told him about the shipment of Covid tests to Moscow.

The claims prompted fierce denials from Trump’s campaign team, which said: “None of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Exchange of ‘rare items’

However, on Thursday the Kremlin claimed the reports that Trump had shipped Covid tests to Moscow were true.

Mr Peskov said: “The first tests worked badly and at first there was not enough equipment… all countries tried to somehow exchange between themselves. We sent a supply of ventilator units to the US, they sent these tests to us.”

He said the shipment was made at the beginning of the pandemic, adding: “At the time, these were rare items.”

Mr Woodward’s account of the story said that Putin had told Trump not to reveal details of the alleged shipments because it would harm the then-US president politically.

His new book, War, contains a number of revelations about Trump’s relationship with the Russian despot.

The book claims that the two men held a phone call in early 2024, as Joe Biden prepared to send more weapons to Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine by brokering a deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

He has also said Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had won the 2020 presidential election.

A British convert to Islam who claims she was ordered to remove her hijab at work is claiming she was racially discriminated against because she is white.

Aisha Amalou, described in legal papers as a “caucasian female who converted to Islam many years ago”, is attempting to win damages from a care home company over allegations a manager insisted she was “not even a Muslim”.

She alleges a colleague at the Lochleven Care Home in Broughty Ferry, where she was employed as a care assistant, repeatedly ordered her to remove the head covering and dismissed her pleas that she wore it for religious reasons.

Ms Amalou, 33, claims she then sought to raise the issue with a manager. However, it is alleged that manager revealed that she was the one who had given the order for the hijab to be taken off.

It is alleged that another manager sacked Ms Amalou on March 1 because she suffered a panic attack at work and because of the “hijab issue”. 

He is said to have told Ms Amalou “toddle-oo” in a “mocking tone” after firing her.

‘Stereotypical assumption’

Ms Amalou, who was born and raised in Scotland, is taking legal action against Thistle Healthcare, the care home operator, alleging an “incorrect stereotypical assumption” was made that she should not be wearing a hijab.

Ms Amalou, who began working at the care home in November last year, is also claiming mistreatment on the grounds of her Muslim religion and disability, citing a history of anxiety and depression.

Thistle Healthcare declined to comment before the case is heard at the end of next month but it is understood the company will dispute all of Ms Amalou’s claims and state that at no point during her employment was she asked to remove her head covering.

Sources suggested the firm had evidence to confirm that conversations Ms Amalou alleges took place never happened.

However, Ryan Russell, Ms Amalou’s lawyer, insisted his client had the evidence to support her allegations, including text message exchanges with her imam and eyewitness accounts from other workers.

Legal papers include a WhatsApp exchange with her imam, on the date she alleges she was ordered to remove the hijab, seeking his guidance.

She wrote: “My manager told me to remove my hijab I got emotional… she says its [sic] not religion and to take it off I’m really upset.” She asked the imam: “Is the hijab a choice? What should I do?”

‘The hijab is timeless’

Ms Amalou’s imam advised her to explain the importance of her hijab in a “non-confrontational way” and added: “The benefits of hijab are many, the ruling of hijab is timeless, and it is a part of our religion and obedience to Allah.”

The legal papers state that Ms Amalou was told to remove her hijab due to a policy around head coverings in the workplace.

It is alleged that she was dismissed for reasons “connected to wearing the hijab” and that comments about it created an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment”.

Ms Amalou is seeking a ruling that she was unlawfully discriminated against and “financial compensation and an award for injury to feelings.”

She claims the discrimination she encountered “had a significant impact” on her mental health.

Mr Russell said his firm, MML Law, “seeks to raise awareness for those being discriminated against in the workplace” and predicted the case would proceed to a full public hearing in 2025.

One person was killed and 12 tourists were trapped underground when an elevator in a disused Colorado gold mine malfunctioned during a tour on Thursday.

The incident occurred during the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour, which takes visitors 1,000ft underground.

A group of 11 visitors were on board the elevator trolley system when the mechanical failure occurred, killing one person and injuring four.

Twelve more people were stuck in a tunnel for several hours as they waited for the elevator to be fixed.

Officials did not release further details about what went wrong, citing an active investigation.

“We did have one fatality that occurred during this issue at 500ft,” Teller County sheriff Jason Mikesell told a press conference.

The 11 people on board the elevator at the time, including two children, were brought safely to the surface with the assistance of the mine operators and fire department officials.

Aside from the fatality, the four people hurt in the incident suffered only minor injuries, said Mr Mikesell.

The 12 stranded visitors were also safely rescued later on Thursday.

Chairs, blankets, and water were provided to those in the mine while emergency crews were on hand with ropes.

Those trapped inside the mine were not informed of the fatality on the elevator while they were still underground.

“We’re just trying to keep down the worry of what’s going on, so that nobody gets excited,” Mr Mikesell said, before the tourists were brought to safety.

The mine outside the small city of Cripple Creek, around 100 miles south of Denver, offers a chance to “experience the ‘Old West’ as it was for hard rock gold miners of ‘The World’s Greatest Gold Camp,’” according to its official website.

The mine opened in the 1800s and was closed in the 1960s but still operates tours. 

The mine’s website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 100 stories into the earth. 

It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.

A soldier accused of spying for Iran before escaping from prison posed for selfies while on a “holiday” in Turkey to meet his handlers, a court heard.

Daniel Khalife, 23, travelled to Istanbul in August 2020 allegedly hoping for a meeting with his Iranian contacts, where he took videos and pictures of himself at a luxury hotel.

Khalife booked flights to Istanbul at the suggestion of his alleged handlers, a court heard, where he spent six nights before returning home as a meeting did not materialise. 

On the third day of his trial, Woolwich Crown Court was told more details about Khalife’s trip to Turkey, which he allegedly mentioned disguising as a holiday.

The court was shown a picture of his room in the Hilton Bomonti Hotel in Istanbul and selfies taken outside the hotel.

Khalife flew out on Aug 4 2020 on a Turkish Airlines flight and spent £725 on the hotel.

He videoed himself and the surroundings of the Hilton at 6:30pm on Aug 5 – the evening of his first full day – and apparently made a point of showing the name of the hotel twice. 

Khalfie travelled to Istanbul with the hope of meeting his Iranian handlers after the trip was suggested by a man calling himself “David Smith”.

In a message from Aug 2, “David Smith”, thought to be the name used by his Iranian handler in the UK, messaged: “Hello mate, I have some very good news for you. We are organising a meeting for you in Iran.”

The pair later discussed visiting Turkey and asked if it was better to go to Ankara, the country’s capital, or Istanbul. 

“Smith” replied: “Istanbul is better because it is a tourism city.”

“To look like a holiday it needs to have a return ticket,” Khalife responded. “I will try to be there on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

His handler then advised: “Let’s talk about our main issue. The first one is that you must not be in touch with Hamed, never for ever. The second one is that no one must not get aware of your trip to Iran…be aware that you must not go to Iran embassy in London.”

He ended up not meeting his alleged handlers on the trip and the court was played an audio message recorded by Khalife in which he said the trip had gone “sour”. However, it was unclear who the message was sent to,

“Pretty much I’ve been working with the new team for about a month I think. We were supposed to meet actually in your country,” he said.

“I don’t know if I am supposed to tell you so don’t tell anyone. We were supposed to meet in your country – we went to Turley and the plan kind of went sour. They didn’t plan it correctly.

“So that is just what I wanted to tell you. Also I haven’t been able to make contact with them for about, I would say, one week so I was kind of worried. I delivered a package to them which I don’t think I should tell you but don’t mention it to anyone.”

Other messages discovered on devices linked to Khalfie included messages between him and “Smith”, in which his alleged handler said: “I miss your vocal voice; your voice is so amazing”.

“Like singers,” he added.

The court also heard that Khalife won a trophy as the best junior member of his squadron and had hopes of joining the special forces before being told he was unlikely to pass enhanced vetting because of his background.

Khalife had a promising early career after joining the British Army two weeks before his 17th birthday in September 2018.

He then joined the 16th Signal Regiment, based in Stafford in March 2020, as a signaller, and was given the “best junior soldier” cup from the 230 Squadron sergeant major in December that year.

In an image of the award shown to the court, Khalife is the only signaller to be engraved on it, with previous winners all being lance corporals.

Captain Lewis Fox, who was second-in-command of Khalife’s squadron, agreed that it was “rare” for a signaller to win the award.

A squadron has between 100 and 150 soldiers and the award had previously been given to lance corporals, who are non-commissioned officers.

When Khalife was deployed to Fort Hood in Texas on an exercise called War Fighter in February 2021, he worked extensively on the Falcon communications system used by the Army, without having been trained on it.

Khalife is accused of collecting and gathering information on the Falcon system while allegedly spying for Iran.

Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, told the court his job as a signaller was described as “relatively menial” but he began working “above his pay grade” on the Falcon system.

Capt Fox agreed when it was suggested this “was a consequence of how quickly he was learning and how good he was”.

In the spring of 2021, Khalife was “handpicked” to move from Vampire Troop to Phantom Troop, which was dedicated to using the Falcon communications system and in which he was the only soldier below the rank of lance corporal, the court heard.

His duties included fault finding and system maintenance on the Falcon system, along with making sure vehicles carrying the equipment were clean and drivers had the correct qualifications, the court was told.

In July that year, the corps colonel at 16 Signal Regiment wrote in a newsletter that Khalife had “become a master of Falcon”, adding: “Good effort and dedication to develop such skills at such an early stage of your career.”

The colonel was said to be a very important officer in the regiment and Mr Hussain said: “That he impressed him enough, to use the vernacular, to give him a shout-out is very impressive?”

“Yes,” Capt Fox said.

The praise prompted some amusement in a WhatsApp group where a mocked-up picture of Khalife with a Falcon and the logo for BAE Systems, which built the equipment, was shared on the group, the court heard.

Soldiers in the group said that Khalife was “a master of all things Falcon, one step below master of everything”, the court was told.

The court heard that in September 2021, he was promoted to lance corporal and a note recorded: “This is an enormous achievement and an important first step on your leadership journey.”

Mr Hussain asked: “It is relatively impressive to be promoted from signaller to lance corporal after your first review?”

“Yes,” Capt Fox said.

The court was told that at the start of his “phase two” training to be a signaller at Blandford Forum in Dorset in March 2019, Khalife was asked by the troop commander and said he wanted to work in signals intelligence or as a communications specialist with the special forces.

London-born Khalife, who has an Iranian-born mother and Lebanese-born father, “was told in no uncertain terms that there was no point in even trying to apply for that because he would never get vetted due to his heritage,” Mr Hussain said.

Capt Fox accepted “common knowledge” that it could be more difficult for certain people to be given developed vetting because of their background.

“You appreciate Daniel Khalife was told in absolute terms he wouldn’t get it because of where his parents were from – something he had no control over, preventing him from working where he wanted to?”

“My answer would be it is going to be very difficult and I would advise against it,” Capt Fox said. “There is a year-long course and you can go through a really attritional selection process and then fail in the last two weeks by not getting vetting.”

“We are policy bound not to stand in the way of anyone if they want to go for it, it is their choice,” he said, adding: “It is also important to manage expectations. It can be crushing to attempt selection and fail.”

However, in a statement read to the court Austin Miller, the troop commander at the time, said: “This is not something I would have commented on. I am aware of dual nationals who are in sensitive posts. I would not have told him that he would not have got vetting.”

The trial continues.

Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to accept donations to pay for clothes and glasses would be understandable if he was a woman, Carol Vorderman has said.

The former Countdown star, 63, said it was a “rookie error” for the Prime Minister to accept £32,000 from Lord Alli to pay for clothing and £2,400 to pay for glasses.

Speaking at Cheltenham Literature Festival on Thursday evening, she said: “I thought that was odd because he’s not a poor man, is he, Keir Starmer.

“I just didn’t quite understand that. I could understand it more if he was a woman, but why do you need more than one or two pairs of glasses, was he sitting on them?”

The outspoken Left-wing activist and author of Now What: On a Mission to Fix Broken Britain, added the new Government had made a number of “rookie errors”.

Vorderman said: “It’s like, come on, sort your s–t out. Do things properly, be honourable – you’re all called honourables so act in an honourable manner.”

She did add the caveat, however, that the Labour freebies row has been “minuscule” compared to the previous sleaze allegations that engulfed the Tories.

The political activist also urged the new government to “stand up, as they said they would, and say we will be absolutely squeaky clean”.

She made the comments after Sir Keir admitted last month that wealthy Labour peer Lord Alli gave him £32,000 to pay for clothing, double what he previously declared.

Sir Keir also received £2,400 from Lord Alli for glasses, and the use of an £18 million penthouse during the election campaign and on other occasions. Members of his frontbench team have also declared large donations from the peer.

The Prime Minister, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves have promised not to accept free clothing in the future.

Vorderman, who has been outspoken in her criticism of the Tories on social media in recent years, said that she doesn’t “quite understand” where Labour’s politics is “at the moment”.

“They’re missing so many easy points,” she added.

The TV star was also asked which politician she’d choose to be stranded on a deserted island with and named Deputy Prime Minister Ms Rayner.

She also teased that she might one day become so fed up with politicians that she may run for public office herself.

“I think we need total reform on the system, from first past the post to mandatory and proportional representation,” she said.

“Although I get so angry with everything that I sometimes think, ‘Right, should we just set up a political party?’”

The NHS will rely on private hospitals to ease a growing crisis under plans being considered by the Government.

The £1 billion rescue plan to clear waiting list backlogs would result in the independent sector funding the biggest expansion in healthcare since Sir Tony Blair’s premiership.

Cancer checks, surgery and intensive care for NHS patients would increasingly take place in private hospitals, under proposals submitted to the Treasury ahead of the Budget.

A source said the Government would “grab with both hands” any spare capacity to get NHS patients treated more quickly.

The NHS has been pleading for extra funds ahead of the Budget on Oct 30, but in his first speech as Health Secretary, Wes Streeting vowed to end “the begging bowl culture, where the only interaction the Treasury has with the Department of Health is ‘we need more money for X, Y and Z’”.

Under the plans, submitted by private hospitals, the independent sector could treat up to 2.5 million more patients, with some treatment starting in weeks.

The private sector investment would be used to build a string of diagnostic centres for NHS patients across the country, tackling delays in cancer diagnosis, and to develop new surgery units and intensive care facilities.

It comes as NHS waiting lists in England stand at 7.64 million, with warnings that the health service is “hurtling into crisis” as winter approaches. When Labour won the election, Mr Streeting pronounced the NHS “broken”. Since then, waiting lists have risen, with little progress made on pledges to carry out an extra 40,000 appointments.

The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), which represents private hospitals, including groups such as Bupa, Circle Health Group and Care UK, has written to the Chancellor and the Health Secretary saying that more than £1 billion of private sector capacity could be invested into facilities for NHS patients.

Mr Streeting is understood to be very interested in the proposals, which would see the private sector committing to a major expansion, using its own staff and both existing and new facilities.

Ahead of the election Mr Streeting said a new Government would “go further than New Labour ever did” in use of the private sector for NHS patients.

“If you want to understand my appetite for reform, think New Labour on steroids,” he said in a speech in May.

The scale of the expansion being considered would surpass moves made by the Blair government, which first introduced use of the private sector by the NHS.

Under Sir Tony and Gordon Brown, the Labour government funded a network of 30 private clinics carrying out operations and tests for NHS patients between 2003 and 2010.

It also introduced patient choice, allowing patients to opt for care in a private hospital, but the drive divided the party and lost momentum.

The new plans, now under discussion with the independent sector, would vastly extend this, with private companies having the chance to win a greater share of the market.

It follows an independent investigation of the NHS by Lord Darzi, which last month warned that the health service was “starved” of capital, which was badly affecting its productivity with too little diagnostic equipment and too few beds and facilities.

Under the plans, investment in the expansion of the health service would come from private facilities.

Around 1 million appointments for NHS patients at private units would be released over the next year from existing capacity, starting within weeks.

In addition, around 1.5 million more operations and appointments would be offered from new and expanded facilities which could start to be deployed within months.

2.5 million extra patients treated privately

This would mean around 7.5 million NHS patients a year treated in private hospitals, up from around 5 million now.

In the letter to Rachel Reeves and Mr Streeting, David Hare, chief executive of the IHPN, said that its investment would mean new facilities could be deployed within months and staffed without drawing staff from the existing NHS workforce.

The network said providers would recruit from abroad and hire staff who have left the NHS, as well as training some staff through apprenticeships.

Previous attempts to use independent hospitals have been limited to some of the simpler procedures, such for cataracts, and hip and knee operations.

However, the new plans would mean independent hospitals would expand their capacity, with some building intensive care units, in order to take on a wider range of cases.

At present, one in seven private hospitals have such facilities, limiting their ability to safely take on complex cases.

The proposals would also lead to a new wave of community diagnostic centres, carrying out tests for diseases such as cancer, which would only treat NHS patients, but be run by the private sector.

‘We want to grab it with both hands’

The plans aim to ease short-term problems facing the health service, with capacity that can be built within the next year.

The IHPN said that “well over £1 billion of private sector capital” could be invested in care for NHS patients, if a long-term deal was agreed.

A Government source said: “If there is any potential extra capacity to help us cut waiting lists faster and get more NHS patients treated, we would want to grab it with both hands.”

Mr Hare told The Telegraph: “When Labour was last in government one of the ways in which it got NHS waiting times down was to make good use of available private sector capacity paid at NHS prices and by asking the private sector to deploy capital on new services including surgical and diagnostic care.

“With NHS waiting lists now at record highs and the public finances stretched, the forthcoming Budget represents a real opportunity to make good on the government’s pre-election commitments of working in partnership with the private sector over the long-term to use the capital, capacity and capability which is there in the sector to improve services for NHS patients.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “This government is steadfast in its commitment to the founding principles of the NHS, which will always be free at the point of use.

“Where there is spare capacity in the private sector which can be used to treat patients, on NHS terms, free at the point of use, we will use it to cut waiting lists.”

A Ukrainian journalist who was captured by Russia while reporting from occupied east Ukraine has died in detention, a Ukrainian official said.

Victoria Roshchyna, who would have turned 28 this month, disappeared in August last year after travelling to Russian-held eastern Ukraine for a report.

She remained missing until April 2024, when her father received a letter from Moscow’s defence ministry saying she was being held in Russian detention, according to Ukraine’s main journalist union.

The circumstances of her arrest were not made public and it was not clear where she was being held inside Russia.

“Unfortunately, information about Victoria’s death has been confirmed,” said Petro Yatsenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s prison of war coordination headquarters on Thursday.

“It is too early to talk about the circumstances of the death, we are working to establish them,” he added.

Press rights group Reporters Without Borders said on social media it was “shocked” by Roshchyna’s death and offered condolences to her relatives.

Two dozen media officials held

Russian news outlet Mediazona reported that she died while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog, near the Ukrainian border.

Thousands of Ukrainians opposed to Moscow’s rule have been detained in occupied territories since Russia’s invasion began in 2022, many of whom face torture at the hands of security forces, according to rights groups.

Ukraine said in May that more than two dozen Ukrainian media officials were being held in Russian captivity and that negotiations on their return were underway.

Roshchyna worked as a freelancer for various independent news outlets including Ukrainska Pravda and had collaborated with the Ukrainian service of US-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe.

In 2022, she was awarded the Courage in Journalism award by the International Women’s Media Foundation for her reporting from east Ukraine.

In April, Khymani James, a 20-year-old student, was suspended from New York’s Columbia University for saying “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists” at a college disciplinary meeting. At the time, even the radical pro-Palestine student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) apologised for his alleged extremism. 

But in a show of defiance during the week that saw the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the same New York-based students have now rescinded their apology in support of James, who was one of their prominent activists.  

Their reversal is a sign of the escalation of pro-Palestinian activism on some US campuses into brazen support for terror groups and unabashed public anti-Semitism. Given that students in the UK are often quick to mimic their counterparts across the Atlantic, such phenomena could soon be replicated here. CUAD said in a statement about James: “We let you down,” adding that it would no longer “pander to liberal media to make the movement for liberation palatable”. 

James is suing Columbia over his suspension and responded to CUAD’s decision to support him by posting on X, formerly Twitter: “I will not allow anyone to shame me for my politics… Anything I said, I meant it.”

“We saw during the last academic year that student activists in the UK are quick to copy some of the protests seen on American campuses,” says Dave Rich, head of policy at the Community Security Trust. “They never reached the extreme behaviour or violence seen in some of the American protests, but the slogans and ideas were very similar.”

As had previously been seen in the US, there were widespread pro-Palestine encampments during the summer term of Britain’s universities. The then communities secretary Michael Gove said the encampments were “alive with anti-Israel rhetoric and agitation” that was “deeply, profoundly intimidatory to Jewish students and others”.

In a speech reproduced on the Gov.uk website, Gove referenced graffiti at Leeds University accusing staff of funding “genocide” and alleging that Israel was harvesting Palestinian organs. He highlighted posters at a Bristol University encampment that claimed that media and politicians were funded by “Zionists” and a proclamation by activists at London’s SOAS college that the student union was “a historically anti-Zionist space with a duty to uphold BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel]”. 

A survey by UK Lawyers for Israel in August found three-quarters of Jewish staff and students who responded had felt intimidated by anti-Israel demonstrations at universities. The report said: “Most students and staff described feeling scared to appear ‘visibly Jewish’ when on campus… More than one student described protesters ‘unconditionally supporting’ or ‘justifying’ Palestinian ‘resistance’ by any means.”

That the heightened level of extremism in the US – in particular, the apparent abandonment of any pretence of peaceful or negotiated aims in favour of support for armed resistance against Israel – might find its way to UK universities is now a real concern. The group in Columbia has said that America is “a nation fatally empowered by accumulation, exploitation, and conquest”.

“The past year was unprecedented in terms of anti-Semitism on campus in the UK, including the encampments that we saw across the country,” says the Union of Jewish Students (UJS). “While there are differences in actions seen in the UK and US, here in the UK we’ve seen a 456 per cent increase in reported anti-Semitism on campus in the past year. There’s never been a year like it. Students have been assaulted, harassed, and received targeted messages with horrifically offensive content.”

On the day of the first anniversary of October 7, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Columbia’s campus at midday, where they chanted, “Free, free Palestine” and “There is only one solution, intifada, revolution.”

“University is a student’s place of work and the place where they live if they are in halls of residence. So if you’ve got protest encampments and extreme radical activism, it’s not like that’s happening in a place Jewish students can ignore if they want to,” says Rich. “It’s effectively in their home and their workplace and it’s imposed on them. That’s what makes campuses so different.”

CUAD produced a newspaper on the anniversary of the attacks with the headline: “One Year Since Al-Aqsa Flood, Revolution Until Victory”, including an image of a member of Hamas breaching the security fence in Israel, according to the New York Times. It also posted an essay calling the Hamas attack (which Hamas refer to as the Al-Aqsa Flood) a “moral, military and political victory” and quoting Ismail Haniyeh, the assassinated former leader of Hamas. “The Palestinian resistance is moving their struggle to a new phase of escalation and it is our duty to meet them there,” the group wrote on October 7 on the messaging app Telegram. “It is our duty to fight for our freedom!”

Even statements considered highly extremist are protected free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. However, the New York Times reports that there is a possibility that appearing to call for violence on campus itself could lead to investigations if federal authorities deem they create a hostile environment for Jewish students. “Statements advocating for violence or harm are antithetical to the core principles upon which this institution was founded,” said Ben Chang, a Columbia spokesman.

The Students for Justice in Palestine group is represented in colleges across the US. A social media account for one of its branches also posted a statement celebrating the Hamas attacks, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 253 were taken hostage. The post, using the Hamas term for the attacks, read: “Al-Aqsa Flood was a historic act of resistance against decades of occupation, apartheid, and settler colonial violence.” 

Were it not for the deadly serious implications of exonerating someone who appeared to endorse the killing of “Zionists”, the CUAD statement rescinding its apology for James’s remarks would appear as typical undergraduate self-indulgence. “We want to apologise first and foremost to Khymani. We caused irrevocable harm to you by contributing to the ostracization you experienced… the anti-blackness and queerphobia that Khymani experienced from neo-liberals, neo-liberal media and fascists is disgusting… we let you down by purposefully playing into the media and the public’s neo-liberal co-optation of our encampments and our movement for Palestinian liberation.”

“Universities are the front line of the community because Jewish students will encounter supporters of different extremist ideologies and movements on campuses in a way that ordinary Jewish people don’t in their day-to-day lives,” says Rich. “Universities are a real cauldron of ideas and activism – which is part of the fun and, if you’re into politics, what makes university a great experience. But it also means Jewish students have to deal with stuff other people in the community only have to look at second-hand.”

“This time last year we started seeing posters around campuses saying ‘Intifada until victory’,” says the UJS. “It doesn’t have to be a confrontation with an encampment or a protest, but it can be something that happens when a Jewish student walks to a lecture or meets a friend for a coffee and it’s intimidating and unavoidable. If you hear that your friend on a campus across the country has been punched for being visibly Jewish, then that Jewish student is scared that will happen to them too.”