Good evening. British troops have flown to Port Sudan to carry out a reconnaissance mission, as the Government continues efforts to rescue stranded citizens. We have the latest news from Sudan, as the UN warned the conflict in the country poses a risk of "catastrophic conflagration".
British troops fly to Sudan to help stranded citizens
The soldiers landed at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, on Monday though it is unclear if a specific rescue attempt is underway. We have a video which explains Sudan's conflict in five minutes.
Meanwhile, a senior MP said the UK needs a plan "today" for evacuating citizens from Sudan, as he warned that Britons could end up mounting their own risky escape plans if they are not supported. "What we require is a clear cut plan as to how to get British passport-holders out," said Tobias Ellwood, the chair of Parliament's defence committee.
It came as the Sun reported that the mission to rescue British embassy staff and their families almost collapsed on Sunday. Foreign Office officials were said to have been involved in a tense stand-off lasting more than one hour with Sudanese authorities before the flight was allowed to depart.
Downing Street has denied the report.
France rescues British nationals from Sudan
France stepped in to rescue British nationals from Sudan, it has emerged, as the foreign secretary warned that the Government is not able to help everyone remaining in the country.
The French foreign affairs ministry said a “significant” number of people from European countries including the UK, as well as from Africa, America and Asia, were among the 388 people on its flights from Sudan.
In contrast, the Foreign Office was accused of abandoning British civilians in Sudan and failing to learn from the disastrous evacuation of Kabul.
James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, admitted that without an end to the fighting, ministers are "severely limited in our ability to provide assistance to British nationals.” Our Europe Editor James Crisp has the full story here.
Queen 'saddened' by death of Len Goodman
The Queen has said she is "saddened" following the death of Len Goodman, the Strictly Come Dancing judge, who died of bone cancer at the age of 78.
Buckingham Palace released a statement as tributes poured in for Goodman after his death was announced on Monday. "Her Majesty was saddened to hear the news," a spokesman said, while Downing Street described Goodman as a "great entertainer" and "popular face" on the nation's television screens.
Michael Hogan writes that Strictly’s gloriously grumpy grandad once described himself as "a cup of tea in a world of skinny lattés". And you can read his Telegraph obituary here.
Evening Briefing: Today's essential headlines
Northern lights | Experts believe tonight will be the best chance of seeing the Northern lights across the UK, despite a spectacular display last night.
- Rishi Sunak | Standards investigation into PM extended
- Michael Morpurgo | Leave classic texts alone and stop ‘nitpicking’, says author
- Labour | Keir Starmer signals end of Diane Abbott’s Labour career over ‘anti-Semitic’ comments
- Prezzo | Italian restaurant chain to close 46 restaurants
- Matthew Perry | Friends star to remove ‘mean’ remarks about Keanu Reeves from memoir
Comment and analysis
- Tom Harris | Abbott has given Starmer an opportunity to disavow Critical Race Theory
- Matthew Lynn | Britain’s demented war on landlords has already backfired
- Andrew Orlowski | Every time the Tories pull one of their magic levers, Britain gets a little worse
- Julie Bindel | Democrats want to destroy American women’s sports: Shame on them
- Ross Clark | Who needs phone alarms when we already have war sirens
World news: Wagner mercenaries 'to execute prisoners' after fighter threatened
Wagner mercenaries have been ordered to shoot dead any Ukrainian soldiers captured on the battlefield and to cease taking prisoners. You can find more details on our Ukraine live blog.
Interview of the day
Yuval Noah Harari: ‘I don’t know if humans can survive AI’
For the first time, we've invented something that takes power away from us, says the Israeli historian and author of Sapiens
Business news: CBI admits harbouring ‘toxic’ sexual predators after damning report
The scandal-hit Confederation of British Industry (CBI) failed to sack “toxic” sexual predators in harassment cases and lost the confidence of female staff members, its president has admitted. Matt Oliver has the full story.
Editor's choice
Global Health | Britain’s terrifying isolation tent for patients with the world’s deadliest diseases
Food | How steaks, eggs and nuts could help prevent midlife spread
El Salvador | How a weekend of mass murder stripped a nation of its rights
Sport news: Man Utd launch initial moves for Kane
Telegraph Sport understands that Manchester United plan to bid for Harry Kane and that due diligence has begun over his price tag and how to handle negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. Matt Law has more details on how much Kane would cost United.
Three things for you
- TV | I’m a Celebrity South Africa, ITV1, 9pm
- Health | Why running is the worst way to lose weight
- The Midults | ‘I don’t want my ex-husband back – so why am I obsessed with his new girlfriend?’
And finally... for this evening's downtime
The surprising renaissance of Scotland's 'ancient capital' | The historic final resting place of Scottish monarchs and birthplace of the one-time world’s richest man has its gaze fixed on the future.
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