Welcome to your early morning news briefing from The Telegraph – a round-up of the top stories we are covering on Thursday. To receive twice-daily briefings by email, sign up to our Front Page newsletter for free.
1. Pingdemic means supermarket supply chains ‘starting to fail’
Supermarket supply chains are “starting to fail” because the “pingdemic” is sending thousands of workers into self-isolation, food industry leaders warned on Wednesday night.
Shop shelves in some areas were empty of basic supplies, while petrol stations ran out of fuel as the NHS Test and Trace app threatened to bring parts of the economy to a standstill. Read the full story.
2. Who plotted with whom in Dominic Cummings’s Dirty ‘Few Dozen’?
If Boris Johnson masochistically decided to watch the BBC’s interview with Dominic Cummings, he is now aware that he was supposedly the subject of the most treacherous political plot since the Ides of March.
Within days of his landslide victory of December 2019, Cummings and his inner circle were “having meetings in No 10” in which they discussed “trying to get rid of him and get someone else in as prime minister”. Read the full story.
3. France not stopping Channel migrants, despite getting £54 million to fight illegal crossings
The French authorities have told Britain they will not stop migrants at sea, despite receiving £54 million from the UK to combat illegal Channel migration.
Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont said French vessels would not intervene to halt migrants’ boats, and would instead allow them safe passage unless they specifically asked the French for help. Read the full story.
4. Smart meters will be useless in hydrogen-powered homes
Smart meters will be rendered useless if Britain moves to hydrogen-powered homes in the future, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, has admitted.
Trials are under way to look at the feasibility of replacing natural gas with hydrogen to enable the UK to meet its target of decarbonising home heating by 2050. Read the full story.
5. Prince George marks his eighth birthday with a beaming smile
A beaming Prince George perched atop a Land Rover Defender as he marked his eighth birthday.
The Prince, who is known to be a little more shy and more reserved than his younger siblings, looked in great spirits as he posed confidently on the bonnet of the family car dressed in a striped polo shirt and navy shorts. Read the full story.
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