A convicted drug dealer who was freed from prison under the Government’s early release scheme said on Tuesday that it had made him “a lifelong Labour voter”.

Djaber Benallaoua, 20, praised the “very good” policy and said he was “going to get lit” to celebrate his early freedom after leaving HMP Isis, in south-east London.

He was among 1,750 inmates being released on Tuesday, with another at HMP Wandsworth, south-west London, praising Sir Keir Starmer for the “good idea” of introducing the early release scheme to tackle the prison overcrowding crisis.

Up to 1,700 more prisoners will be freed on Oct 22 under the scheme, which sees offenders freed 40 per cent of the way through their sentence rather than halfway.

Outside HMP Wandsworth and other prisons, prisoners were greeted with a celebratory shower of sparkling wine as friends welcomed their release.

Asked how he felt to be free, Benallaoua, who was released six months early from his two-and-a-half-year sentence for drug dealing, told MailOnline the scheme had made him a “lifelong Labour voter”.

“I thank Labour because I’ve come out five or six months earlier than I was supposed to, so I’m just happy,” he said. “It’s a very good policy because it’s given a lot of prisoners a lot of hope. 

“When prisoners found out they’d be released early, they were very positive. I’m just elated right now. I’m going to get lit.”

Liam Fitzpatrick, 34, was released from Wandsworth on Tuesday after serving 18 months of a three-year sentence.

He said he had been behind bars for “a driving offence and fighting”, telling The Telegraph: “I’m happy to be out for this. I’m grateful to Starmer, I’m a lifelong Labour supporter. Out with the old, in with the new. 

“There’s been lots of happy people today. I’m Labour through and through.”

Ross Heathorn, 46, released early from a sentence for breaching his probation, praised Sir Keir and said: “I feel good. I feel free. It’s a bit bad in there with how the officers treat you, but I guess it’s just overcrowded.”

Asked about the Government’s decision to release prisoners earlier, he said: “They’re doing something instantly… every action has a reaction with ripples further down the line. I think it’s a good idea. He [Sir Keir] thinks it’s a good idea. I want to go to McDonald’s now.”

Calvin Foster, 25, who was jailed for conspiracy to commit robbery, said he was going to “chill and work” with his girlfriend and friends after walking out of HMP Isis.

Foster, a mechanic who had been given a 25-month sentence, was one of the first to leave just before 8.30am. He said: ‘It’s a joke – my actual release date was tomorrow. It’s one day earlier, but I’ll take it. It’s sweet, isn’t it?

“I didn’t find out I was being released early until I got my papers through a few days ago. I kept my head down inside, got on with my stuff. I kept myself to myself – didn’t get in with any gangs. I’m a good boy now. I’m going to see my girlfriend, see my mates, and just chill and work. I ain’t going back in there.”

Downing Street said the scenes of freed prisoners being sprayed with sparkling wine, cheered by friends and hailing Labour were “completely unacceptable.”

Asked about the celebrations, a spokesman said: “Absolutely – the situation is completely unacceptable. It is, however, the right thing to do to make sure we did not face a situation where criminality would be left unchecked on our streets because we didn’t have enough prison places.

“So this was a difficult decision – but it was the right thing to do to protect public safety. We’ll be working closely with the criminal justice system, prisons probation and police to monitor this very carefully and ensure that they have the support they need to deliver this safely.”

It comes as a watchdog warned that prisoners released early would be back in jail “within days” after breaching their probation.

Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said that offenders freed under the Government scheme were “almost bound” to be sent back to jail “within days or weeks” because “things will go wrong in the community” and they would breach the terms of their licence.

Up to 1,750 prisoners are being released 40 per cent of the way through their sentences, rather than halfway, to tackle overcrowding that saw the number of spare places in male prisons fall to just 300 on Monday.

Mr Jones said there was also a “certainty” that some of the freed criminals would “reoffend”, telling BBC Radio 4: “So the numbers are that around about a third of people released from prison each year will be proven to have committed a further offence within a year.

“And then, of course, there’s a small risk that some of those offences will be serious, and whilst rare, that risk cannot be eliminated.”

The chief inspector said the main risk was that freed prisoners would end up homeless and, as a result, fall back into crime despite a pledge by the Ministry of Justice to ensure all 1,750 will have guaranteed accommodation for 12 weeks.

“What you’re seeing this week is nearly 2,000 people being released. That’s nearly twice the number that ordinarily is released in any given week. That’s placing significant pressure on the probation service and the people that provide the accommodation underpinning that,” he said.

One homeless ex-prisoner said he would be “sleeping on a park bench tonight” after he was released early without sorting out any accommodation.

Jack Creighton, 54, who said he had been “in and out of prison” for “petty offences”, was released from HMP Wandsworth on Tuesday. He criticised the early release scheme as “rushed” and said the authorities were “ticking boxes”.

Speaking to The Telegraph outside the prison gates, he said: “I’m going to be sleeping on a park bench tonight, and then I’ll no doubt start drinking and then I’ll come back. It [the early release scheme] works for the right people if they’ve got accommodation, but if I was in charge, I wouldn’t let homeless people out.

“It’s kind of rushed. They’re [the prison officials] glad because there’s too many inmates in there. But they’re just ticking boxes. It’s like the blind leading the blind.”

Hotels will be used to house some prisoners released early, Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, has told MPs.

Ms Mahmood told the Commons: “If an offender is at risk of homelessness upon release, they will be housed in community accommodation. We expect to provide housing for the majority of offenders using existing provisions.

“But should there not be enough provision, I have authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.”

Mr Jones added that even though prison and probation officers had been given eight weeks to prepare for the early releases, the timetable was still “not as good as people would have liked”.

“I fear there will be pinch points in the coming days and weeks, particularly for example, around accommodation and ensuring that the probation officers have the information they need to manage those cases,” he said.

The pressures on the probation service were as “extreme” as those facing the jails, he warned, adding: “We have too few probation officers, too few experienced probation officers, and that means that that service is significantly overstretched.”

Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, said violent criminals who posed a “high risk of harm” to the public would be among the 1,750 released on Tuesday.

The Government has excluded sex offenders, terrorists, convicted domestic abusers and anyone with a sentence for violence of more than four years.

However, they will include offenders jailed for less than four years for violence and people who may have assaulted a partner or ex-partner, including causing grievous bodily harm, but who were not convicted of a specific domestic abuse offence such as stalking or coercive control.

Mr Taylor said he suspected there would be early-release prisoners back in jail within days, citing the example of cases his inspectors had uncovered involving prisoners released early on a Monday under the previous Government’s scheme but back in jail by the Wednesday.

He said: “Because this had to be done very quickly because there are very large numbers of people coming out, it is inevitable there will be some cracks in the system. We have to hope that those people do get back into society and they don’t go on to commit further offences.”

Australia could ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, to fight what the country’s Prime Minister has called a mental health “scourge”. 

Anthony Albanese vowed to get children off their phones and iPads and back “onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts” as he announced his government would introduce new legislation later this year. 

“We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm,” Mr Albanese told national broadcaster ABC.

“This is a scourge. We know that there is mental health consequences for what many of the young people have had to deal with.”

Parents are “worried sick” about the impact of prolonged and unsupervised social media use, he said, adding that “no generation has faced this challenge before”. 

The minimum age for children to log into sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok had not yet been decided but was expected to be between 14 and 16 years. 

Most social platforms already make users declare that they are above a certain minimum age – Instagram, Facebook and TikTok all say users must be above 13 years old – but they only require the person setting up the profile to tick a box. 

The government of South Australia announced on Sunday it wanted to fine companies like Elon Musk’s Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, in order to make them take “systemic responsibility” for the safety of children.

In a 276-page report by former High Court justice Robert French, the SA government set out draft legislation including a proposal to set up a regulator who could penalise social media companies each time they allow children under 14 to access their platforms. 

“At the moment these companies are effectively operating unregulated … that leaves parents almost powerless,” said Peter Malinauskas, the state’s premier.

“We want to create a big, massive deterrent against these giant companies where they do harm to our children.”

Mr Albanese said on Tuesday that a national approach was necessary and that the federal government was supporting an age verification trial to test various approaches to restricting access to pornography sites and social media. 

“What we’re looking at is how you deliver it,” he said. 

“We know that it’s not simple and it’s not easy. Otherwise, governments would have responded before.” 

The Labor government’s “landmark” plan was first announced by the News Corp newspapers which called it a “win for kids” and the result of a nationwide campaign led by the company’s major tabloid newspapers which featured front page stories showing “skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other harms among children and teens”.

Families of young people who had self-harmed or died by suicide as a result of online bullying welcomed news of an age verification trial but said further limits should be in place, including a curfew on young people accessing social media at bedtime. 

Move to legislate for an age limit also had the backing of the country’s conservative opposition, with Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton saying that every day it is delayed “leaves young kids vulnerable to the harms of social media”.

But some experts were unconvinced it would solve the problems faced by children.

Daniel Angus, professor at Queensland University of Technology, said the government’s plan was “reckless”, coming before the final report of a joint parliamentary inquiry into the impact of social media on Australian society.

“This knee-jerk move undermines the joint inquiry and deliberative democratic principles and threatens to create serious harm by excluding young people from meaningful, healthy participation in the digital world,” he said, adding that the legislation could drive children to “lower quality online spaces”.

Toby Murray, associate professor in computing and information technology at the University of Melbourne, said it was not even clear whether the technology existed to reliably enforce bans on children. 

“The government is currently trialling age assurance technology. But we already know that present age verification methods are unreliable, too easy to circumvent, or risk user privacy,” he said.

Snoring could be cured by a daily pill, research suggests, after scientists found that taking a drug currently prescribed for epilepsy could halve symptoms for sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea.

The respiratory condition, which causes heavy snoring, is a common ailment, frequently causing sleepless nights.

The study presented at the European Respiratory Society congress in Vienna found that patients given the drug sulthiame experienced a sharp reduction in symptoms, such as snoring, gasping, snorting and choking noises.

The stop-start breathing condition can also lead to serious problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Obstructive sleep apnoea causes the airway to collapse and breathing to stop and start during sleep, leading to long gaps between breaths, gasping, waking frequently and loud snoring.

Some estimates suggest that as many as one in four adults in the UK suffer from it, with cases most common in overweight men over the age of 40.

The condition can sometimes be treated by losing weight, giving up smoking and cutting down on alcohol, but many people also need a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine throughout the night.

In the new study, experts looked at sulthiame as a possible alternative treatment to CPAP, which involves a face mask and can be uncomfortable to use.

Professor Jan Hedner, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, who presented the research, said: “The standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea is sleeping with a machine that blows air through a face mask to keep the airways open.

“Unfortunately, many people find these machines hard to use over the long term, so there is a need to find alternative treatments.”

The trial involved 298 people with obstructive sleep apnoea from 28 different centres in Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic.

All the patients could not tolerate or refused to use CPAP machines.

Tests were carried out at the start of the study then four and 12 weeks later to look at breathing, levels of oxygen in the blood, heart rhythm, eye movements, and brain and muscle activity during a night of sleep.

The study found that people taking sulthiame had fewer pauses in their breathing and higher levels of oxygen in their blood during sleep. Patients who had been feeling sleepy during the daytime also felt less so when they took sulthiame.

Trial patients were divided into four groups, taking either a placebo or one of three different doses of sulthiame. They slept in a clinic for a night at the beginning of the study, then again after four weeks and 12 weeks, with researchers monitoring their snoring, breathing and levels of oxygen.

Those taking sulthiame saw significant improvements in symptoms such as stopping and starting breathing during the night, daytime sleepiness and oxygen levels in their blood. Those on the highest dose, 300mg a day, experienced a 50 per cent reduction in the number of respiratory pauses during the night, reducing the severity of snoring.

Professor Sophia Schiza, from the University of Crete, who was not involved in the research, said: “This is one of the first studies to suggest that a drug treatment could help some patients and the results are promising.

“We need to continue testing sulthiame and other treatments to understand their long-term effects, including any side effects.”

Erika Radford, the head of health advice at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “What’s interesting about this research is it’s a first step in moving people away from breathing equipment you wear while you’re asleep, to a drug-based treatment.”

The research has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.

A Disney-obsessed couple have vowed to keep fighting after losing a $400,000 (£306,000) legal battle to have their membership reinstated to the theme park’s exclusive Club 33.

Scott and Diana Anderson, both 60, spent 30 years trying to get into the elite £33,000-a-year club, which allowed them to rub shoulders with VIP guests in wood-panelled lounges.

Since gaining access in 2012, the pair had forked out around $124,000 a year to visit the Disney theme parks in Anaheim, California, up to 80 times annually.

But the couple’s fairytale lifestyle was brought to an abrupt end after they were banned from the members’ club in 2017 amid claims Mr Anderson had been drunk in public.

They have spent seven years and hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to regain entry to the club, only for a jury last week to reject their claims that Disney had improperly evicted them.

“My wife and I are both dead-set that this is an absolute wrong, and we will fight this to the death,” Mr Anderson told the Los Angeles Times.

“My retirement is set back five years,” he added. “I’m paying through the nose. Every day, I’m seeing another bill, and I’m about to keel over.”

Determined to appeal the decision, Mrs Anderson said: “I’ll sell a kidney.”

Mr And Mrs Anderson gained access to Club 33 in 2012, where they mingled with Hollywood stars including Dick Van Dyke and Kurt Russell and enjoyed fine dining, VIP tours and special events.

Sean Macias, the couple’s lawyer, told the civil court when they came off the 10-year waiting list, “they finally became part of this special place”.

“That was their spot. That was their happy place, their home”, he added.

But security guards found Mr Anderson near the entrance of California Adventure at around 9.50pm on Sept 3 2017. They claim he had slurred speech and had trouble standing and his breath smelled like alcohol.

He was promptly evicted from Club 33.

Mr Macias said Mr Anderson had only consumed two or three drinks and, in the absence of a breathalyser or blood tests, it was “not established” he was intoxicated.

Mr Macias argued that Mr Anderson’s symptoms were the consequence of a vestibular migraine which can be triggered by red wine.

‘Some salty language’

The previous year, Mrs Anderson had briefly been suspended from the club for using “some salty language… a couple F-words”, Mr Macias said.

Mr Macias said the couple were trying to clear his name as Mr Anderson “doesn’t want to be known as a drunk”.

The Andersons had asked to be reinstated in Club 33, with a $10,500 reimbursement for four months of unused membership in 2017. They also wanted $231,000.

Jonathan E Phillips, a lawyer representing Disney, said Club 33 membership guidelines forbade public intoxication.

“They did not want to pay the consequences of failing to follow the rules,” Mr Phillips told jurors, the LA Times reported.

He added that Mr Anderson’s conduct “cost his wife of 40 years her lifetime dream of having access to Club 33”.

David Knowles, the Telegraph journalist behind the award-winning Ukraine: The Latest podcast, has died.

Mr Knowles, 32, who worked as a senior audio journalist and presenter, died while in Gibraltar on Sunday following what was believed to be a cardiac arrest.

He joined The Telegraph in 2020 as deputy head of social media and was later promoted to head of social media.

Upon the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022, Mr Knowles launched Ukraine: The Latest, a weekday podcast that is still running two years later.

This year, Ukraine: The Latest won the Best News Podcast at the Publisher Podcast Awards.

Mr Knowles’s father, Peter, described his eldest son as someone who “loved life and he lived it just as well as he could”.

He said: “David’s commitment to journalism was intense. He was never more proud than when he finally shrugged off a management job title and regained a title with the word ‘journalist’ in it, and he was utterly engaged with the story of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the impact on its people, making four trips to the country and always planning the next.”

Chris Evans, the editor of The Telegraph, said: “David was a talented and popular journalist who was perhaps best known for helping to make our Ukraine podcast such a success. Before that, he was an impressive leader of our social media team. We would like to offer our sympathy to his family and friends.”

Mr Knowles launched Ukraine: The Latest as a Twitter Space before it became a fully fledged podcast. Starting on the day of the Russian invasion in February 2022, it is now approaching 100 million downloads.

He anchored the podcast and became known as its “voice”, travelling across Ukraine with his audio equipment to capture stories to pull into special episodes that told how the lives of ordinary Ukrainian people were being destroyed by Putin’s war.

He and the podcast team also toured the show in America last year, where a large part of its audience is based.

More recently, Mr Knowles and the team were invited to speak at the US embassy in London, at the Chalke History Festival, and at Armed Forces Day in Scarborough about the Ukraine war.

The Ukrainian embassy in London also paid tribute. In a post on X, the embassy said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of the Telegraph journalist of Ukraine: The Latest podcast [David Knowles]. 

“His dedication to reporting the truth about the war in Ukraine and his commitment to telling the stories of those affected by it will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. Ukraine mourns this profound loss alongside you.”

Germany’s opposition leader has demanded “comprehensive” rejections of illegal migrants at the country’s borders.

Friedrich Merz, the head of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union party, will meet the government on Tuesday for discussions on drastically toughening immigration policies, building on a similar summit last week.

The meetings have been called as Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor, scrambles to appear tougher on migration in response to the Solingen knife attack last month, in which a Syrian asylum seeker murdered three people at a music festival.

Mr Merz is heaping pressure on Mr Scholz’s coalition to announce stricter border control and migration laws. Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, he called for the “rejection of people at the German external borders on a comprehensive scale” if they do not have the correct paperwork.

His comments were echoed by the Christian Social Union, the CDU’s sister party in Bavaria, which demanded new border rules that would “fundamentally be about rejection at the border.”

On Monday, in an apparent bid to reassure voters and appease Mr Merz, the German government announced that it would impose additional checks at all land borders for six months, starting next Monday.

Germany is already carrying out extra border checks on its eastern frontiers with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, while additional checks with Austria have been in place since 2015.

Monday’s announcement will extend those checks to Germany’s western borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

Germany is part of the EU’s open-border Schengen zone, where additional border checks are only permitted as a last resort for member states on national security grounds.

It came as a senior member of Germany’s Green faction, which is in coalition with Mr Scholz, accused Mr Merz of using migration as a tool to “blackmail” the government.

“Friedrich Merz is behaving like a stubborn child,” said Irene Mihalic, the manager of the Greens’ parliamentary faction, referring to earlier rumours that he may not attend Tuesday’s summit. “These blackmail attempts are just ridiculous.”

Bild, the country’s leading tabloid, welcomed Monday’s border announcement, describing it as a “victory for the majority of German citizens who have long been demanding stricter asylum rules”.

It added that the announcement was a political boost for Mr Merz, who is seeking victory in next year’s national elections, because he “forced the government into the asylum confrontation two weeks ago”.

Kamala Harris has previously said she would support offering taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries to prisoners.

In a 2019 American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire, the then-California senator backed a raft of liberal policies including immigration detention and decriminalising federal drug possession.

The survey, which was sent to all Democratic and Republican candidates during the 2020 campaign, has resurfaced at an awkward time for Ms Harris who has been attempting to shake off attacks from Donald Trump who has named her “comrade Kamala”.

The five-year-old questionnaire, which was discovered by CNN, will provide extra fodder for Trump, 78, to attack Ms Harris during Tuesday’s presidential debate in Philadelphia.

One of the questions put to Ms Harris in 2019 was whether as president she would ensure transgender and nonbinary people who rely on state medical care “including those in prison and immigration detention” would have access to gender transition surgery.

Mr Harris answered “yes” before adding: “It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition.”

The Democratic presidential nominee, 59, also said as California attorney general that she had “pushed” to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates.

“I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained”, she wrote, adding: “Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment.”

During a town hall event in April 2019 Ms Harris suggested she supports adding a “third gender” to federal identification cards.

“I have my entire life and career been an ally and I see the issue of LGBTQ rights as a fundamental civil rights and human rights issue, period,” Ms Harris said.

Ms Harris has tried to shake off her previous Left-wing comments, such as pledging support for a ban on fracking, and tried to position herself towards the centre as she campaigns for the top job.

Other claims Ms Harris made in the 2019 questionnaire include her promising to legalise marijuana and reform sentencing laws to “help end the era of mass incarceration”.

She added she would “end private prisons and immigrant detention facilities” and claimed the “immigrant detention system is out of control”.

Ms Harris also vowed to use her clemency and pardon power “on a broader basis than has been done in the past to overturn the convictions of people incarcerated for non-violent drug offences”.

While Ms Harris has said that her positions on certain issues have shifted over the years, she insisted during a CNN interview last month: “My values have not changed.”

A Harris campaign adviser told CNN: “The vice-president’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

“As president, [Ms Harris] will take that same pragmatic approach, focusing on common sense solutions for the sake of progress,” added a Harris campaign spokesman.

A French nursery school teacher could face assault charges after footage went viral of her apparently “hitting” an upset three-year-old girl in class on her first day of school and pouring liquid on her head.

A lawyer for the parents released the disturbing film, shot on Sept 3 in the Frères Voisins nursery school in a deprived district of Paris’s 15th arrondissement.

In the video, the unnamed teacher can be seen apparently hitting the crying girl on the back before grabbing a bottle and pouring an unknown liquid over the distraught child.

The teacher can clearly be heard asking her: “There, does that make you feel better?”

“You’ll see, your daddy will come back when I tell him,” she adds.

Vanessa Edberg, the parents’ lawyer, posted the video of the scene on social networks with the message: “A teacher violently assaulted a little girl… and sprayed liquid on her head at a school in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.

“A complaint has been lodged. As a lawyer, I will fight this battle hand in hand with the family, but as a mother, my heart bleeds.”

“It wasn’t a spanking. She hit her on the back,’ said Ms Edberg. “What happened was extremely serious.”

Girl ‘had taken a blow beforehand’

After the incident, the girl was sent to the corner, continued to scream and cry, and called out for her “mummy” as the teacher looked on.

According to Le Parisien, the film was shot by the mother of another pupil who was in the classroom that day while the girl was crying after the incident.

The girl’s father told Le Parisien: “My daughter had taken a blow beforehand, which is why she was having a fit, and the mother who was present decided to film discreetly.”

It was the girl’s first day at school, according to her father.

The author of the video is said to have shown the victim’s mother, prompting her to file a complaint at the Issy-les-Moulineaux police station.

According to the local educational authority, the teacher seen on the video, who has been replaced and is currently on leave, has admitted the facts and apologised to the family.

The day after the complaint was made, she was spoken to by her school principal and the district inspector.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office said that it had not yet been informed of the complaint.

‘Shocking and unacceptable’

On Tuesday, Nicole Belloubet, the outgoing French education minister, called for disciplinary proceedings.

“These images are terribly shocking and unacceptable in our schools. I immediately requested the launch of disciplinary proceedings, with an immediate suspension of the teacher,” she said.

“I extend my full support to the victim and her family, who are receiving support.”

The girl’s father said: “We’re all extremely traumatised. I haven’t been able to sleep since it happened.

“Every time I close my eyes, I hear her cries echoing in my head. My daughter doesn’t dare leave the house anymore. It was her first day at school in her life. It’s a huge psychological blow for her.”

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, has vowed to “exponentially” increase the number of the country’s nuclear weapons.

In a speech marking the regime’s founding anniversary on Monday, Kim said North Korea must build its “nuclear capability and its readiness to use it properly at any given time in ensuring the security rights of the state”, KCNA, the state newswire, reported.

Kim justified the move by claiming that North Korea faces a “grave threat” from what it sees as a US-led nuclear bloc in the region.

His latest announcement followed the official release of a photo showing a new 12-axle transporter erector launcher, raising concerns that Pyongyang could use the vehicle to launch a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the mainland US.

The picture showed Kim inspecting the vehicle, larger than any previously known launchers, suggesting that it could be paired with a missile that has an even larger range or warhead.

In response, Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said the US was focused on “working with our regional allies and partners”, including South Korea and Japan, “on preserving regional security and stability and deterring a potential attack”.

On Tuesday, Cho Chang-rae, the South Korean deputy defence minister for policy, and his US and Japanese counterparts condemned Pyongyang’s recent diversification of nuclear delivery systems, tests and launches of multiple ballistic missiles.

South Korea is currently hosting a defence ministerial meeting with member states of the United Nations Command, which helps police the heavily-guarded border with North Korea and has committed to defending the South in the event of a war.

Last month, Germany became the latest country to join in a move criticised by Pyongyang as raising tensions. 

On a visit to Seoul this week, General Carsten Breuer, Germany’s chief of defence, said North Korea’s provision of munitions to Russia was helping to fuel Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

He clauimed Vladimir Putin would not have asked for these weapons if they were not useful, adding: “It’s about increasing the production for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine but it is also strengthening Russia by making it possible for them to keep their stocks like they are.”

Donald Trump will face off against Kamala Harris in a presidential debate that marks one of the centrepieces of a fraught and close election.

The debate, in Philadelphia on Tuesday night at 9pm local time (2am BST), is being hosted by ABC.

Here are some of the key points that could make or break the night for both candidates.

Trump’s temperament – will he keep his cool?

Donald Trump’s temperament will, as ever, be under scrutiny. It’s not clear that Trump, who has been at the centre of US politics for eight years, is willing or even able to change his approach, which has traditionally been heavy on attack and generating political entertainment.

His advisers have been urging him to tone down the more personal tirades, especially any with hints of sexism, against Ms Harris, fearing that they do not land in the same way under a national TV spotlight as they did against Joe Biden.

Trump was widely criticised for his overbearing manner with Hillary Clinton in 2016, though he went on to win that election.

In that debate, he said he believed “my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament. I know how to win.”

At the same time, Trump showed some restraint in his debate with Mr Biden in July, perhaps sensing that it would not serve him well to go hard on the ailing Democrat.

Still, the Harris campaign may be hoping Trump will overstep, giving Ms Harris an opening to unleash her skills as a calm former prosecutor.

Harris’s record

Trump’s main objective will be to tie Ms Harris to the Biden administration’s record on immigration and border control.

It is estimated that at least 9 million migrants have crossed the US-Mexico border since 2020.

But he’ll also go after Ms Harris’s record as prosecutor in San Francisco and changing her positions on fracking and electric vehicle mandates among others. Ms Harris says her “values have not changed”. .

Trump will also look to make hay of the migrant crisis on the border, pinning as much of it on Ms Harris as possible. Since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, the Harris campaign has attempted to refute that she was ever appointed “border czar” but was instead assigned the job of getting to the root causes of mass migration from central America.

Trump will also attempt to tie Ms Harris to “Bidenomics” and the inflation that saw the cost of living rise by 20 per cent over four years. 

But Ms Harris has been attempting to distance herself from Mr Biden’s economic record, including by floating price controls, tax credits for first time home buyers, and more tax support for families.

Trump and his allies will dismiss some of these as socialist from a candidate they called “Comrade Kamala”.

Ms Harris was also famous during her time in the White house for incoherent interviews and bumbling public appearances, where she was accused of mixing “word salads”. Her team will have been working hard to iron out those problems for the big debate.

Abortion

If Ms Harris has the border Trump has reproductive rights as the issue he cannot easily get around; after all, it was his Supreme Court appointees who propelled the court to over turn 50 years of federal abortion guarantees, producing a real and existential crisis for millions of women.

Polls show reproductive rights are a key issue for many floating voters.

In recent weeks, Trump has been trying to shift his position, saying he supported government funding for IVF therapies and supporting and but later opposing an effort to extend abortion guarantees beyond six weeks in Florida.

Trump has repeatedly urged Republicans to prioritise winning elections, even if it means softening their position on abortion. But that put his support with social conservatives in jeopardy without necessarily winning the support of women.

Trump claims his second administration would be “great for women and their reproductive rights” but a significant polling edge for Ms Harris among women voters suggests they don’t believe him.

A Labour-run council has been criticised for funding an Extinction Rebellion “climate cafe” using taxpayers’ money.

Bolton council gave the local XR group a £1,134 grant in July for a monthly climate discussion meeting.

The “climate cafe” is advertised as a “relaxed and informal” place for a “chat about all matters climate-related”.

Conservative councillors criticised the Labour administration for handing taxpayers’ money to the activists.

Cllr Martyn Cox, the leader of the council’s Tory opposition, said council tax should not be spent on protest groups.

“The Bolton Labour group through area funding budgets are using Bolton taxpayers’ money to fund the activities of Extinction Rebellion,” he said.

“While campaigning groups have a right to pursue their aims, it is not the responsibility of council taxpayers to fund their activities. We call on the Labour group to stop funding.”

The discussion group, held at the Albert Halls theatre in the town centre, has previously invited guest speakers to lecture on food waste, fast fashion and eco-friendly gardening.

The council’s grant was given out of funds earmarked for “social value” initiatives.

‘Very welcome and a good thing’

Cllr Nick Peel, the Labour leader of the council, responded to Cllr Cox by praising Bolton XR for “providing education to the public on the effects of climate change and what we can do as individuals to change behaviours”.

He went on to suggest that there was little significant difference between the group and other local initiatives that also receive council funding.

“I think it’s quite dangerous to start being too overtly critical of decisions like this,” he said.

When the funding was announced, Cllr Richard Silvester, the Labour representative of Queens Park and Central Ward, said XR’s activities in Bolton were “very welcome and a good thing”.

“I see what they are doing locally as a group as a very welcome and a good thing for our borough and I see them as a partnership group and as a critical friend to the present Labour administration,” he said.

“We both share the objective of reducing carbon emissions in the borough. I would encourage residents to go along to the climate café events that they are holding because they are informative, and they are a good group of people.”

A spokesman for Bolton council said the grant had been approved by the Labour councillors representing the ward in which the meetings are held.

“This area-based grant was awarded to part-fund the running of a monthly ‘climate café’ where residents can discuss environmental issues and share their ideas to make our borough greener,” the spokesman said.

“As well as giving visitors the chance to hear from expert speakers, the organisers also provide free refreshments and a lending library.

“Bolton council is committed to addressing the climate emergency and to working with residents, businesses and community groups to tackle this challenge locally.”

NHS progress is going backwards for the first time in 50 years, a major report commissioned by the Government has found.

The report by Lord Ara Darzi, a surgeon and former health minister, will this week highlight failures in the most basic care offered by the health service.

It will criticise the amount of time children are left waiting in A&E and how the NHS’s routine services ground to a halt during the pandemic.

Lord Darzi will say that the progress made since the 1970s on deaths from heart disease and waiting times for treatment is now in reverse for the first time.

Within hours of Labour winning the election, Health Secretary Wes Streeting had declared the NHS “broken” and pledged to “turn our health service around”. He commissioned the report a week later.

It is expected to be instrumental in shaping the Government’s 10-year plan “to radically reform the NHS”.

Lord Darzi is particularly concerned about heart care, with heart disease one of Britain’s biggest killers.

Mortality rates from heart problems are now rising, having fallen steadily from the 1970s until 2010.

Waiting times for life-saving surgery for those suffering a heart attack have risen by a quarter and waits for treatment have gone backwards across all areas of the health service.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Darzi was “really clear that the NHS is broken but not beaten”.

“His diagnosis, and my conclusion, is that the only way out of this now is reform,” Sir Keir said.

“I think only a Labour government can reform the NHS and therefore we will use his diagnosis as the platform for the reform that we now need to carry out in relation to the NHS.”

He added: “Everybody watching this who has used the NHS, or whose relatives have, knows that it’s broken.”

Lord Darzi’s report will be published on Thursday. It found that improvements in the cardiovascular disease mortality rate for people aged under 75 stalled in 2010 and started rising again during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In its submission to the investigation, the British Heart Foundation said: “We are extremely concerned that the significant progress made on heart disease and circulatory diseases (CVD) in the last 50 years is beginning to reverse.

“The number of people dying before the age of 75 in England from CVD has risen to the highest level in 14 years.”

Deaths from heart disease have gradually fallen over the last 50 years to a low of 71 per 100,000 people in 2019, according to the British Heart Foundation. The premature mortality rate has risen since then to 79 per 100,000.

Lord Darzi’s investigation also found that there are wide variations in the standard of care patients receive from the NHS depending on where they live.

It will say: “The time for the highest risk heart attack patients to have a rapid intervention to unblock an artery has risen by 28 per cent from an average of 114 minutes in 2013-14 to 146 minutes in 2022-23.

“Patients in Surrey are likely to receive the procedure in less than 90 minutes, while those in Bedford, Luton, and Milton Keynes must wait around four hours” despite them being just 50 miles apart.”

It will also warn of widespread variations in stroke care.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It’s alarming that the progress made on heart disease and stroke is now in decline. It points to a failure to help people stay healthy, and a failure of the NHS to be there for us when we need it.

“This government is acting to cut waiting times and reform the NHS, so it catches illness earlier, which is better for patients and less expensive for our health service.”

The report will also point to evidence that where bold action has been taken, health has improved. It will say this is notably the case for smoking.

Labour brought in a ban on smoking in public places in 2007 and the Government is currently proposing to phase out legal sales of cigarettes by age.

Lord Darzi’s review was commissioned by Mr Streeting to uncover the full extent of the challenges facing the NHS to provide a full and frank assessment of the issues it has inherited.

The Government said the findings will help provide the basis for a 10-year plan for the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

However, there were warnings on Sunday that Labour’s pledge to deliver 40,000 extra weekly NHS appointments to reduce waiting times will not be enough to meet targets.

In its general election manifesto, the party set a target of having 92 per cent of patients begin routine hospital treatment within 18 weeks of referral by the end of this parliament.

This would be achieved by having neighbouring hospitals share waiting lists, supplying additional capacity from the independent sector, and incentivising NHS staff to work extra evenings and weekends.

But a new report by the NHS Confederation and healthcare consultancy Carnall Farrar has found the number of appointments promised – equivalent to two million a year – would only meet 15 per cent of the target if care continues to be delivered in the same way.

The NHS would, in fact, need to provide 33.6 million outpatient appointments by 2028/29 to bring waiting lists back to meeting the 18-week level, according to the report.

Victoria Atkins, the shadow health secretary said she was concerned that the Government would use the findings of the report to justify tax rises.

She said: “This report should be about what the state of the NHS is and providing solutions and what worries me is that Labour is using this report as cover for the tax rises they plan to raise on us all at the Budget in October.”

Lord Darzi is a pioneering surgeon who won the nickname “Robo Doc” for spearheading the use of keyhole surgery and robotics in operating theatres. Under the last Labour government, he recommended the rollout of polyclinics – major sites bringing together GPs with a wider range of services from 8am until 8pm.

The peer has also said that hospitals should provide far more care seven days a week, noting: “British Airways does not leave its planes on the tarmac over the weekend.”

Currently, half of NHS hospitals close their operating theatres at weekends, with the number of elective operations, such as hip replacements, falling by 80 per cent on Saturdays and Sundays.

Taylor Swift has delivered a public show of support for Brittany Mahomes, an American football star’s wife who has been under fire for backing Donald Trump.

The 34-year-old pop singer, who endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, embraced Mrs Mahomes in the VIP seats as the pair watched the US Open men’s tennis final in New York on Sunday.

Swift – who has stayed silent about who she will be backing in November – was with her boyfriend Travis Kelce, whose Kansas City Chiefs team-mate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, accompanied his wife at Flushing Meadows.

One of America’s most high profile NFL spouses, Ms Mahomes has been criticised on social media in recent weeks over her perceived support for Trump, the former president.

The swimsuit model, 29, first indicated her views when she liked a Trump Instagram post outlining the 2024 Republican platform on Aug 13.

Responding to criticism, she said: “I mean honestly, to be a hater as an adult you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood. There’s no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well.”

On Aug 26, she wrote: “Contrary to the tone of the world today… you can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind.”

Trump subsequently wrote on Truth Social: “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me. It is nice to see someone who loves our country, and wants to save it from doom. What a great couple – see you both at the Super Bowl!”

Mrs Mahomes and Swift have regularly been pictured together at Chiefs games since the musician started dating Kelce last September.

On social media, some users criticised her embrace of Mrs Mahomes given the outcry over her political views.

One wrote: “I don’t expect a billionaire to lead the revolution or anything, I’m just confused as to why one would make a movie about standing up for what’s right at any cost only to literally never stand for anything again.”

Another wrote: “Taylor girl that’s not very Miss Americana of you, like how can you stand to be around someone like that.”

Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff and her fiancé, Ben Cohen, are in so much debt that they are “fighting not to lose everything” including their relationship, a court heard.

Mr Cohen, a former England rugby player, made the admission while appearing in court alongside the Russian dancer after she drove her £30,000 Audi Q3 without insurance in Horsemarket, Northampton, in April.

Rihanoff, who appeared in court under the name Kristina Pchenitchnykh, was convicted of the driving offence and unsuccessfully appealed on Friday, with Mr Cohen appearing as her witness.

Mr Cohen told Northampton Crown Court that the pair set up several businesses including a yoga studio which had suffered as a result of the Covid pandemic.

“I get up every day and I fight not to lose everything – to lose my cars and my house and my relationship. I’m so overdrawn,” he said.

When questioned about the strains on his and Rihanoff’s relationship, he said: “We’re still living together. We’re in it financially. We’re in business together so the problem is that we opened the business before Covid and we got the worst severities of it and in all honestly this is just another problem for me to deal with.

“I’ve got credit cards that are overdrawn. I’m overdrawn in both accounts. We have got a business debt because of Covid. It’s just another problem.”

One of the original “Strictly Curse” couples, the pair were partners on the 11th series of the BBC dancing show in 2013. Mr Cohen separated from Abbie Blayney Cohen, his then wife, a year later and the couple were divorced in 2016.

Revealing their engagement to Hello! magazine in 2022, Rihanoff said: “It was the biggest surprise of my life. Although we’d talked before about getting married one day, I hadn’t the slightest idea that Ben was planning this. I was overcome with emotion and said: ‘Yes, yes and yes’ straight away.”

The show has a long and troubled history of leading to relationship trouble among its contestants.

The first series of Strictly in 2004 was dogged by claims of an affair between newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole, her dance partner.

Kaplinksy has always insisted there was nothing between her and Cole but the gossip culminated in the collapse of both her 12-year relationship and Cole’s relationship with fellow dancer and fiancée Camilla Dallerup.

Rachel Riley split from her husband shortly after taking part in the 2013 series, during which she was partnered with dancer Pasha Kovalev. Although she claimed at the time that they were not involved, Riley and Kovalev later revealed, in 2014, that they were in a relationship.

Rihanoff sobbed throughout the hearing and had to leave the courtroom. Upon her return, she was wrapped in a white blanket holding a tissue to her eyes.

She was spared a driving ban, despite totting up 12 penalty points, due to “exceptional hardship”, the court heard.

Northampton Crown Court was told that the ex-Strictly professional needed a car to judge ballroom competitions around the country, and to take her two daughters to school. The court also heard she regularly took her stepdaughter to hospital to be treated for a heart condition.

Mr Cohen confirmed that he had been solely responsible for sourcing insurance for the couple’s cars.

The court was told that Mr Cohen had been searching for cheaper insurance online at the end of February after being quoted £7,500 by Aviva. He said he had taken out a policy with Dial Direct on Feb 22, paying monthly by direct debit.

In March he was abroad when he received a text message telling him Dial Direct was going to cancel his insurance unless he sent his no claims details.

He said he did not have a no claims bonus so he did not send any details to the company, so the policy was cancelled on March 7.

On April 14, Rihanoff was stopped driving uninsured in Northampton town centre. The court heard that when police officers phoned Mr Cohen, he immediately tried to take out another policy with the same company.

When asked if he knew, on April 14, that the policy had been cancelled, he replied: “I 100 per cent did not know that policy would be cancelled because the no claims information they’d been asking for wasn’t relevant to me.”

He added: “I didn’t know until I got that call from Kristina then I was (saying) ‘what are you on about?’”

Mr Cohen also said he had not told Rihanoff about the cancellation of the insurance. He also admitted he had not asked Rihanoff about the dates of her previous speeding offences before taking out the policy.

Recorder Louise Cox rejected her appeal, but told Rihanoff she had “every sympathy” with her.

She said: “We find you had an honest belief you were insured but don’t accept that belief was reasonable grounds to account for your lack of insurance.”

The judge said that Rihanoff should have made sure she was insured before driving.

Rihanoff, of Sywell, Northamptonshire, was ordered to pay £357 in appeal costs.

The new series of Strictly begins this Saturday amid a string of scandals over alleged bullying and abuse.

An estimated 600,000 people – almost half of East Timor’s population – gathered in a seaside park on Tuesday for Mass led by the Pope.

The service was held on the same field where Pope John Paul II prayed 35 years ago during the nation’s fight for independence from Indonesia.

Pope Francis, 87, delighted worshippers on Tuesday, staying at Tasitolu Park in Dili, the capital, until well after nightfall.

He toured the field in his open-topped popemobile as the screens of the crowd’s mobile phones lit up the evening.

“I wish for you peace, that you keep having many children, and that your smile continues to be your children,” said Pope Francis in his native Spanish.

The huge turnout was a testament to the overwhelmingly Catholic population of the Southeast Asian country and the high regard its people have for the church.

East Timor formally broke away from Indonesia in 2002 following a brutal, decades-long occupation. The Vatican is credited for standing by the Timorese in their battle for independence and helping to draw international attention to their plight.

One of the world’s poorest countries, East Timor, whose population is 1.3 million, lies north of Australia.

Pope Francis will remain in the country until Wednesday as part of a 12-day visit to east Asia that has included stops in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, before he travels to Singapore and then returns to Rome on Sept 13.

At the end of July, six candidates to become the next leader of the Conservative Party were announced.

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride all threw their hats into the ring.

Those who make it through the voting rounds face up to four months of campaigning as they compete to win over their fellow MPs and Tory members in the race to replace Rishi Sunak.

Dame Priti was the first candidate to be eliminated from the race, receiving just 14 votes. Mel Stride was eliminated on Sept 10, receiving just 16 votes, 17 behind the front-runner Mr Jenrick. 

Mr Jenrick has now been the front-runner in both votes.

Here, The Telegraph explains how the Conservative leadership contest will work.

How were the nominations decided?

Each of the candidates needed to have the support of at least 10 MPs to make it onto the ballot. MPs could only nominate only one candidate per voting round.

All candidates needed to have a proposer and a seconder among their 10 backers, and also had to prove they could raise £200,000 for the party.

What is the 1922 Committee?

The 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers is a highly influential group, the leader of which has a key role in the leadership contest.

The committee plays a big part in the handling of votes of no confidence in the future of the party leader as well as leadership elections.

Sir Graham Brady stood down as its chairman at the election, and was replaced by Bob Blackman, the MP for Harrow East. Mr Blackman will oversee the race and was part of the small group that decided on the rules and timeline for the election.

This year, Mr Blackman announced a “yellow card” system for candidates and their campaign teams, with any found to attack a rival to be penalised and given a public dressing down.

Who votes for the new leader?

The first two rounds of voting involve MPs casting ballots in support of their favourite candidate. The first round on Sept 4 knocked out Dame Priti who received the least votes.

Mel Stride was eliminated in second round on Sept 10, leaving the four remaining names to put their case to the party at the Conservative Party conference at the end of this month.

There will be a final MP vote to determine the final two hopefuls, who will then be put to the party membership to whittle down to the last candidate standing.

How will the campaign unfold?

The six candidates spent the summer recess travelling across the country to drum up support for their campaigns, including a number of local hustings for members.

They faced the first round of voting in Westminster on Sept 4 and will face the second on Tuesday. The four remaining candidates after the two rounds of voting will take part in a so-called “beauty parade” at the conference, with a chance to put forward their vision for the party.

There will then be several hustings and votes after the conference over the course of three days. In the second week of October, MPs will vote again, resulting in a final two who will then face the membership vote.

The vote of members will take place online and will close on the afternoon of Oct 31. Those who had been a member of the party for 90 days or more ahead of the ballot closing date will be eligible to vote. The new leader will be announced on Nov 2.

After Mel Stride’s elimination today, Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly are the four candidates remaining in the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. 

The choice of Rishi Sunak’s successor will shape the future of the party as it prepares to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the next five years.

In turn, we have asked Telegraph readers if and how the Conservative Party could win back their favour and, potentially, their votes. 

Out of over 1,000 readers, 65 per cent argued that if the party makes the right changes, it would be able to win their vote back. On the other hand, 23 per cent of readers were adamant that the Conservatives were a lost cause, while 12 per cent felt that the Tories never lost their support. 

The most popular policies and changes mentioned by Telegraph readers are:

1. Scrapping Net Zero
2. Control immigration
3. Make a pact or merge with Reform UK
4. Return to true conservatism

Diluting net zero policies was one of the major demands from readers who could be convinced to vote Conservative again. 

Reader Susan Hudley argued the Tories “should return to their roots” and “call a halt to all the net zero idiocy and restore the UK’s energy security.”

She continued: “They must allow oil drilling in the North Sea and fracking where there is an economic case to do so. And the World Economic Forum group mindset on ‘climate change’ must be disavowed.”

Terry O’Dowd claimed that if he was ever to vote Conservative again, it would be when the party “dropped all the net zero targets that are making us poor.”

Similarly, reader P. Harrington also called for the party to “abandon unrealistic Net Zero targets.”

‘Commit to get a proper grip on immigration’

Another issue that readers believe has to be tackled before the Conservatives can earn their votes back is immigration. 

For instance, reader Mike Philips called for the Tories to “act like a Right-wing party and control immigration,” adding that would be “just the beginning” of their return.

Cornelius Tyrell wrote: “The Conservatives would have to propose a two-year freeze on immigration whilst finding a long-term approach to limit numbers – as well as repudiating the ECHR.”

Susan Kimber shared Mr Tyrell’s view. She said: “They have to commit to leaving the ECHR and getting a proper grip on illegal immigration.”

‘Adopt Reform UK as running mate’

A lot of readers have called for the Tories to make a pact or merge with Reform UK, for them to unite the vote on the Right. 

Reader Anthony Walker argued the Conservatives should “negotiate a merger with Reform and accept that most of the ‘One Nation’ Tories are in the wrong party.” 

He continued: “Moreover, they should rebuild the new Reform/Conservative Party on the principles of core Conservatism of low taxes, [a] small state and self-reliance.”

Likewise, “adopting Reform UK as running mate would be a good start” reader Phillip Searle said, as he argued that “it’s clear the liberal-Left side of the Tory party are the real ones in crisis.”

John Eley, meanwhile, pointed towards “the Tories needing to have a comprehensive cull of the “wets” in the party. He said the Tories must elect a true conservative as leader and enter into an electoral pact with Reform UK at the next general election, if they ever want to win back voters. 

Finally, reader Lee Papworth shared how he “was close to saying the Tories are a lost cause” and argued that “they need to find a way back to actual conservatism through policies that encourage growth, reward hard work and productivity, punish criminals and defend their supporters from the tyranny of woke orthodoxy.”

 He recommended that the Tories read Reform UK’s manifesto, as “all the answers are in there.”

Leadership hopeful James Cleverly has already ruled out the possibility of a unified Conservative Party and Reform. He said: “The Conservative Party doesn’t do mergers.”

Paul Camp suggested that “any candidate that doesn’t follow James Cleverly’s suit and rule out a merger with Reform if they become Tory leader will be dead in the water.”

He believes “all but a few desperate MPs wouldn’t vote for them in the first rounds.”

Likewise, Ivan Yardley argued he would not vote for a party that has “merged with the centre-left Tories”, and he says that as a person who had, until the last election, voted Conservative for the previous 45-plus years.

“James Cleverly’s declaration is designed to appeal to the One Nation supporters that still have the party by the throat,” reader Paul Walsh argued, adding “it will be music to Nigel Farage’s ears – not that Reform would touch any party led by the likes of Cleverly.”

‘Too influenced by progressivism’ 

As mentioned by many readers, one of their main concerns is how far Left the Conservative Party has drifted. They called for a return to true conservatism to uphold the values of their once-loyal supporters.

For instance, an anonymous reader shared: “All the candidates standing have to state explicitly they will return to mainstream conservatism and then back it up.”

James Francis argued that “the current Conservative Party is far too influenced by progressivism” and supporters “couldn’t vote for a party that was conservative in name only in the election.”

‘I’m never going back’

For some readers, however, the Tories are a lost cause. 

Reader Gerard Meade asserted: “I simply do not trust the Conservative Party to deliver. After a lifetime, 45 years, of voting for them, they will never have my vote again.  They made deliverable promises, but then proceeded to go off on a tangent, focusing on little issues and ignoring the major problems in the country. 

“They were lazy, incompetent and untrustworthy,” he added. 

Les Davey reflected on why “there is nothing now” the Tories can do to win back his vote. “They have had their day and blew the 80-seat majority.”

He went on to explain how “the final straw was the coup to put Rishi Sunak in power, having ensured members only got to vote. That’s when I resigned my membership in disgust. 

“I have been a Reform supporter and member ever since and will continue to be so, as they are now the future for those with true conservative views and principles. I’m never going back.”

In a similar vein, reader Rosemary Woolley shared that “they can campaign on whatever they want, but I would not be able to believe them enough to vote them in.” 

She continued: “We need a totally fresh, new government. I will always vote for Reform now or not at all. And it’s sad – because I always voted Conservative.”

‘The Tories should open up dialogue with their members’

There were a few readers who said the Tories never lost their support, including Wayne Barrett, who suggested that “while they haven’t lost my support, I feel we need to shift to a more Thatcherite party.”

He also felt the party should “open up a dialogue with its members. I hear members with excellent ideas, ideas that the Party could take to the Commons.”

He continued: “If they had a social chat or email where party members could suggest ideas, then ideas from the public could shape the party and its leadership. 

“After all, those in the House of Commons are not mixing with the real public, the ones that see the real issues that stop people voting for them.”

James Phillips, who “will always support the Conservative Party because it is who I am fundamentally am”, was concerned that “through scandals and not introducing actual conservative policies” the Party has been “soundly rejected by the electorate.”

The reader, like many others, wants to see “the party of tradition and patriotism” go back to basics and “learn what it means to be a British conservative. If that is done, this party will return to the heights of British politics,” he said.

Support from fellow Tory MPs is what matters in the first three rounds of the Conservative leadership race, and all six candidates are vying to win over their colleagues.

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Dame Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride threw their hats into the ring and have all had MPs declare their support over the course of their campaigns.

The final two hopefuls are put to a vote of the Tory membership, but to get there they must impress the parliamentary party and undergo a series of three votes by MPs.

There are 121 Tory MPs in Parliament, all of whom will be wooed by the remaining candidates over the coming weeks as they try to get the largest number to back them.

Dame Priti was the first candidate to be eliminated from the race, receiving just 14 votes, 14 fewer than the frontrunner Robert Jenrick. 

The second elimination round takes place on Tuesday, during which MPs will vote out another contender. 

The final four candidates will then take part in a “beauty parade” at the Conservative Party Conference.

MP support, however, is not a guarantee of success. Rishi Sunak beat Liz Truss at every round of voting by MPs in the summer 2022 leadership election, but she was more popular among members.

Here, The Telegraph tracks who is backing whom in this leadership race:

Gagan Mohindra [campaign chief whip]

Peter Fortune

Simon Hoare

Charlie Dewhirst

Shivani Raja

Sir Ashley Fox

Sir Alec Shelbrooke

Greg Smith

Blake Stephenson 

Alex Burghart [campaign co-chief whip]

Julia Lopez [campaign co-chief whip]

Andrew Griffith

Jesse Norman

Andrew Bowie

Claire Coutinho

Alan Mak

Laura Trott

Nigel Huddleston

Dr Ben Spencer

Gareth Bacon

Ben Obese-Jecty

Chris Philp

James Cartlidge

Kevin Hollinrake 

Andrew Snowden

Danny Kruger [campaign co-chief whip]

John Lamont [campaign co-chief whip]

Esther McVey

Sir John Hayes

Jack Rankin

Peter Bedford

Matt Vickers

John Cooper

Dr Caroline Johnson

Sir Edward Leigh

Mark Pritchard

Gareth Davies

Christopher Cope

Mark Francois

Neil O’Brien

Peter Bedford

Ed Argar

Andrew Rosindell

Lewis Cocking

Katie Lam

Karen Bradley [campaign chief whip]

James Wild

Nick Timothy

Neil Shastri-Hurst

Harriet Cross

Patrick Spencer

George Freeman

Mark Garnier

Sir Desmond Swayne

Dr Andrew Murrison

Mims Davies

Jerome Mayhew

The Jeremy Kyle Show’s treatment of a guest who took his own life was not a “contributory factor” to his death, a coroner has ruled.

Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, seven days after filming for the ITV programme in May 2019.

He had taken a lie detector test on the now-axed talk show after being accused of cheating on his ex-fiancée Jane Callaghan.

Finding that Mr Dymond took his own life, area coroner Jason Pegg ruled it would be “speculative” to suggest the presenter and his show played a role in his death. 

He said although the television star could be “quite critical”, there was “insufficient evidence” that Mr Kyle’s comments “contributed to his distress”.

However, Mr Pegg also said he could not conclude whether or not Mr Dymond lied during his lie detector test.

“The deceased’s decision to take his own life was made in the context of his mental distress that was probably exacerbated by his belief that a significant relationship had now irretrievably broken down following his participation on a television programme where it had been suggested that the deceased had lied to his partner,” the coroner said.

Footage of the episode, which was not broadcast and was played for the first time at the inquest, showed Mr Kyle chastising Mr Dymond, branding him a “liar” and urging him to “be a man and grow a pair of balls”.

It showed Mr Kyle walking on stage and describing how Mr Dymond had been accused of lying about his age, about being in the Royal Navy, about grandchildren and about Viagra medication going missing.

In a statement released after the inquest, a spokesman for Mr Kyle said the “false accusations” against him since Mr Dymond’s death had taken a “huge toll on him and his family”.

The statement said: “His Majesty’s Coroner has today clearly and unequivocally found that Jeremy Kyle did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond.

“He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.

“Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last five-and-a-half years. 

“This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times.”

Show’s cancellation ‘good’

A statement from Mr Dymond’s son Carl Woolley was read by family lawyer Anna Thwaites outside the coroner’s court.

It said: “It has been five years since my father died. In my view, anyone watching the clips of the show can see that he was in tears and was spoken to in the most brutal way by Jeremy Kyle.

“The coroner has recorded that the lie detector test, in which Jeremy Kyle believes so strongly, had an accuracy of 60 to 96 per cent.

“The only good thing that came of my father’s death is the Jeremy Kyle Show is cancelled.”

Mr Kyle, who gave evidence on Thursday, insisted Mr Dymond was just another “typical” guest and claimed he showed him “empathy”.

The television star admitted he never received training for highly emotional situations on the show but denied “belittling” and “humiliating” his guest, instead saying he “de-escalated” the encounter.

The presenter also said his on-stage behaviour was a “persona” and that he was “paid to do a job”.

The inquest in Winchester considered to what extent the makers of the programme, which was axed four days after Mr Dymond’s death, had been aware of his mental health troubles before he was allowed to appear as a guest.

Both Mr Kyle and ITV were named as “interested persons” to the inquest.

Chris Wissun, the director of content compliance at ITV at the time, told a hearing last week the Jeremy Kyle Show did not “target unstable people” and that it aimed to “resolve” guests’ problems.

“The show didn’t target unstable people, part of the process was only people who were able to take part and competent in mental health terms to take part should do so,” he said.

‘Suicide risk’

Mr Dymond, a digger driver and former RNLI volunteer, had broken up with Ms Callaghan in February 2019 after being accused of infidelity.

The couple then rekindled their relationship and jointly decided to go on the Jeremy Kyle Show to take a lie detector test in May 2019.

The inquest heard Mr Dymond rang the show 40 to 50 times in his attempts to appear on it and also kicked his GP’s door demanding a note saying he was mentally well enough to do so.

Dr Amjad Rehman, the GP, said Mr Dymond had had “suicidal thoughts” following his initial break-up with Ms Callaghan.

Previously, Mr Dymond had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and overdosed on four occasions – in January 1995, twice in December 2002 and in April 2005.

He had also attempted to cut his wrists in December 2002 and he was sectioned on Sept 22 2005 after a mental health assessment found he was at “risk of suicide”.

During filming, Mr Dymond had the results of a lie detector test “pushed in his face” and was branded a “serial liar”, a pre-inquest review hearing was told in May.

Mr Woolley told the inquest last week his father had been “very upset” after the recording.

“Jeremy Kyle had got the crowd to egg on, to boo at him and stuff, he was cast as the liar before he had even spoken,” Mr Woolley said.

‘Comprehensive duty of care’

On May 3, the day after he appeared on the show, Mr Dymond acquired tablets. In his final message to Ms Callaghan, on May 6, he said the programme was “responsible for what happens now”, adding: “I hope this makes good ratings for them.”

On May 9, he was found dead at his £100-a-week rented room in Portsmouth.

There was a “potentially lethal” amount of morphine in his system when he died, and he was suffering from left ventricular hypertrophy, a heart condition.

On May 13, ITV abruptly pulled the show off air.

An ITV spokesman said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those close to Mr Dymond and recognise how difficult the inquest and the past five years have been for them.

“The coroner did not find any causal link between Steve Dymond’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.

“In the coroner’s findings of fact, he confirmed that The Jeremy Kyle Show had comprehensive duty of care processes covering the selection of contributors who appeared on the show and their care both during and after filming.

“The coroner described how these processes were followed with Steve Dymond including the offer of follow-up cognitive behavioural therapy support.

“ITV is committed to continuing to evolve and strengthen the care given to all those who take part in our shows which we believe set industry-leading standards for the selection, protection and support of participants.”

Beyoncé has revealed that fame can “feel like a prison” at times. The singer, 43, revealed that she sometimes skips red carpets to escape the trappings that come with stardom.

Giving a rare interview to the October issue of GQ magazine, she said: “I only work on what liberates me. It is fame that can at times feel like prison. So, when you don’t see me on red carpets, and when I disappear until I have art to share, that’s why.”

Beyoncé also revealed how it is “extremely hard” to make sure her children, with husband Jay-Z, have “as much normalcy and privacy as possible”.

She added that there is “a huge contrast between the business journeys of men and women”.

In her latest series of shows, Beyoncé brought her daughter Blue Ivy Carter on stage to lead a troupe of dancers during My Power and Black Parade, including when she performed in London last year.

Asked if her work has become a family business, Beyoncé told GQ that it is “natural” her children would learn choreography as they come with her everywhere.

She added: “Blue is an artist. She has great taste in music and fashion. She is a fantastic editor, painter and actress. She has been creating characters since she was three. She’s a natural but I did not want Blue on stage.

“Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and she earned it. And most importantly, she had fun! We all watched her grow more and more every night before our eyes.”

Blue Ivy is also among the cast of The Lion King prequel Mufasa, having been cast as the voice of Kiara, daughter of King Simba (Donald Glover) and Queen Nala (Beyoncé).

The singer also said her chart-topping country music album Cowboy Carter was an attempt to push people to “take a minute to research the word cowboy”.

She added: “History is often told by the victors. And American history? It’s been rewritten endlessly. Up to a quarter of all cowboys were black. These men faced a world that refused to see them as equal, yet they were the backbone of the cattle industry.

“The cowboy is a symbol of strength and aspiration in America. The cowboy was named after slaves who handled the cows.

“The word cowboy comes from those who were called boys, never given the respect they deserved.”

Speaking of what she called the “huge contrast between the business journeys of men and women”, Beyoncé added: “I am here to change that old narrative. I’m here to focus on the quality. We took our time, and we did our research, and we have earned respect for our brand. I try to choose integrity over shortcuts.

“I’ve learned that true success isn’t about leaning on a name; it’s about crafting something genuine, something that can hold its own. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being revolutionary.”