Evening briefing: Today’s essential headlines
Colin Powell dies | Colin Powell, the US military four-star general who became the first African-American Secretary of State has died after contracting Covid-19, aged 84. Mr Powell oversaw Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War, and was also a driving force behind the invasion of Iraq in 2003. His career was overshadowed by his 2003 speech on Iraq to the United Nations. Read his Telegraph obituary.
The big story: Southend gains city-status for Amess
His life was brutally and callously cut short on Friday but today Sir David Amess managed to secure one final victory for the constituents he served so selflessly for nearly four decades.
Southend will be granted city status as a tribute to the much-loved MP, Boris Johnson announced as he expressed his admiration for one of the “nicest, kindest and most gentle” of politicians.
Leading tributes in the Commons today, Mr Johnson praised the MP, who “simply wanted to serve the people of Essex” as a backbench Conservative.
The Prime Minister said the Queen had agreed to the city-status move following the years-long campaign by the Southend West representative, who was murdered during a surgery for his constituents.
The Commons erupted in cheers at the announcement.
Mr Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer and Ian Blackford led tributes, followed by a further 90 minutes of contributions from ministers and backbenchers.
Theresa May said “you could never have a conversation with David without smiling” while other MPs told of his outrageous stories, including how he got a boiled sweet blessed by the Pope.
Follow the affectionate, sombre, poignant and in many cases very amusing anecdotes from his friends and colleagues in our politics liveblog.
Make ‘David’s Law’
Among those paying tribute was Mark Francois, who was “hurting terribly” as he made his contribution.
He suggested the Online Harms Bill should be toughened up with ‘David’s Law’ to ensure he did not “die in vain”.
It comes as a 76-year-old man has been arrested after Labour MP Chris Bryant received death threats in response to a call for kindness in the wake of Sir David’s killing.
Earlier, Dominic Raab warned that online hate towards MPs is “out of control”.
Victoria Hewson warns the moral panic over online anonymity will not stop abusive content.
Tom Harris analyses how no initiative can remove all the risks for MPs – but he suggests that a clamp down on the culture of abuse would help.
Widow views tributes
Earlier today, Julia Amess, the widow of Sir David, visited the site of her husband’s death.
This morning, she arrived at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, with tearful friends and family to view hundreds of flowers and tributes left in his memory.
Wiping tears from her eyes, his widow read messages left by well-wishers.
Family members, who stayed for 15 minutes, comforted one another, with an arm around Mrs Amess throughout. Rev Clifford Newman, the minister of Belfairs Methodist Church, shared words with Mrs Amess.
He later led the group in a short private address as they stood, heads bowed, in a semi-circle.
Comment and analysis
Around the world: Inside Kabul’s heroin clinic
With shaved heads, oversized tunics and a terrified gaze, drug addicts rounded up by the Taliban brace for 45 days of painful withdrawal. According to anti-narcotics experts, 11pc of Afghanistan’s 34 million population are drug users, with four to six per cent addicted. Read about what happens during addicts’ 45-day rehabilitation stay at Kabul’s 1,000-bed Ibn Sina centre, and see them spending their time lying on cots in large dormitories or crouched in the yard, soaking up the autumn sun.
Monday interview
‘The menopause made me joyless. I want to take HRT forever’
Ahead of World Menopause Day, the broadcaster Lorraine Kelly talks to Victoria Lambert about her calls for a change in culture so that women have more support, both at work and at home
Read the full interview
Sport briefing: Jones wields axe on England stallwarts
England will enter the autumn without four of their biggest names including the Vunipola brothers after Eddie Jones was unconvinced by their recent resurgence on club duty. With the 2023 World Cup in mind, Mako and Billy Vunipola, Jamie George and George Ford have been overlooked for the 34-man squad picked for next month’s Tests against Tonga, Australia and South Africa. Daniel Schofield calls the ruthless discarding of the England stalwarts the most decisive squad selection of Jones’ tenure. Brian Moore outlines why England’s head coach should be bold and give the nation’s young talents their chance next month.
Editor’s choice
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Marriage Diaries | After 30 years, we’ve run out of things to say to each other
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Something old | The Cambridges demonstrate the new rules of dressing up
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For sale | A £3m Cotswolds retreat next door to Princess Anne
Business: Why won’t Britons pick veg for £30 an hour?
Last year, with the pandemic preventing people entering the UK, David Simmons realised he would have to find local people to work on his farm near Hayle, west Cornwall. He went on local TV, appealed on social media and paid for adverts. More than 250 people applied but only 37 turned up for the induction and, after seven weeks of picking, just one worker was left. This is surprising when you consider the pay: if you work hard enough, you can get up to £30 an hour picking vegetables on Simmons’ farm. Helen Chandler-Wilde went to see how hard it can be.
Tonight starts now
Succession, Sky Atlantic, 9pm | Picking up shortly after season two ended on that bombshell, the third series of Jesse Armstrong’s Shakespearean family saga roars back to life. Here is everything you need to know about the beginning of season three (plus the rest of tonight’s TV listings), but did you know the story of the real-life Logan Roy? From tragedy, mental decline and succession, read how the fierce billionaire Sumner Redstone was torn between a love for his family and the empire he built, and harboured some eccentric habits.
Three things for you
And finally… for this evening’s downtime
The Dieppe Raid disaster | The hare-brained mission in 1942 was a massacre – and all for the sake of Mountbatten’s ego, says Patrick Bishop in his superb book. Saul David takes up the story of the attack ten times worse than the Charge of the Light Brigade.