The Telegraph Frontpage for 2022 November 30

By Danny Boyle Amid a growing crisis in emergency care, we have details of a new strike set to hit the NHS – as well as the best analysis from Qatar, where England manager Gareth Southgate hugged Marcus Rashford (above) after his two goals helped the team beat Wales.

Ambulance staff to hold first strike for 30 years

The risk of an NHS crisis in the run-up to Christmas is worsening, as paramedics and other ambulance workers are now set to go on strike. Unison, which represents hundreds of thousands of health workers, including ambulance staff, as well as porters and cleaners, announced that 80,000 of its members supported taking industrial action. Today, the GMB – the largest union for ambulance staff – is also expected to declare its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of walkouts. It would be the first national ambulance strike for more than 30 years. Unions are obliged to give two weeks’ notice before taking industrial action, meaning walkouts affecting ambulance services may fall next month. Up to 100,000 nurses are already set to strike on Dec 15 and 20. Search the full list of NHS trusts affected. Altogether, 200,000 health workers are now understood to be backing strikes. As health editor Laura Donnelly reports, ministers are working on contingency strategies that could see the military drafted in to drive ambulances. Meanwhile, almost as many overseas nurses are coming to work in the UK compared with the number trained here, new figures show. An influx of workers from India, the Philippines and Nigeria mean the number registering from overseas has quadrupled in the last four years, the Nursing and Midwifery Council said. Department of Health and Social Care code of practices say the NHS must not actively recruit from “red list” countries, which have their own nursing shortages.

Alzheimer’s drug that can slow down disease A drug that slows Alzheimer’s and reduces memory decline may be “the beginning of the end” for the disease, scientists believe. Lecanemab is a drug given every two weeks as an intravenous infusion and the results of a study confirm that it slows cognitive decline by 27 per cent in sufferers. The findings of the phase three clinical trial are the first to show a drug can slow Alzheimer’s. Science correspondent Joe Pinkstone explains when experts are hopeful the drug will be available.

Rashford puts out Dragons’ fire at World Cup It was a mismatch from start to finish, barely a skirmish. England earned the points to win Group B and set up a last-16 tie against Senegal in the World Cup on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Wales. Marcus Rashford was the rejuvenated driving force and he put Wales to the sword with two goals. Reporting from the Ahmad bin Ali stadium, Jason Burt says it is little wonder Rashford was hugged so enthusiastically by Gareth Southgate as he was substituted. See if you agree with our player ratings. And read Jamie Carragher‘s verdict on the manager’s performance.

Also in the news this morning Royal security | Scotland Yard investigated numerous credible threats against the life of the Duchess of Sussex, the former head of counter-terrorism policing has said. Neil Basu, who is retiring from the Metropolitan Police after 30 years, said the threats were “disgusting” and “very real”. He said there was a genuine threat to the Duchess’s life more than once and the Met Police had teams of officers investigating.

Tax trap | Workers still paying student loan face 93pc rate Some workers are paying an effective top tax rate of 93 per cent, a new analysis has shown.Taxpayers crossing certain tax thresholds will see pay rises “arbitrarily” and “unfairly” swallowed up by the erosion of tax allowances and benefits. They could effectively be taxed at rates as high as 60pc – or even 93pc.The tax burden has been made worse by Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement, which lowered the starting level for top-rate tax from April next year. An extra 232,000 taxpayers are now expected to pay additional rate tax as a result, joining the existing 600,000 or so people already caught. 20mph limit | Council erects speed cameras to fine drivers Labour-run Wandsworth Council in southwest London has launched the eight-month pilot scheme on Wimbledon Park Road and Priory Road in Roehampton.Rather than a fixed penalty notice, which is only enforced by the police, drivers caught exceeding the limit will be hit by a £130 “Penalty Charge Notice”. This will be reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days. Watch | Nicola Sturgeon heckled with ‘shame on you’ A protester interrupted a speech by Nicola Sturgeon on tackling male violence against women after the audience was urged not to mention her controversial gender reform plans.The woman was ejected from the event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of charity Zero Tolerance after telling the First Minister she had “let down vulnerable women in Scotland”. Turkey shortage warning | Bird flu wipes out half of stock Shoppers have been warned of a Christmas turkey shortage as half the country’s free-range birds have been culled because of avian flu.Poultry farmers told MPs yesterday that consumers will face a “big, big shortage” of free-range turkeys after the UK population was decimated by the worst ever outbreak of bird flu.Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, told the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: “This year is the worst bird flu outbreak that we have seen, ever. Post-prandial amble | Best present to yourself? Walk it all off Scientists claim to have proven for the first time the benefits to one’s self image of walking in the snow … Lead author Dr Kamila Czepczor-Bernat, of the Medical University of Silesia, said: “A body of evidence now exists showing that nature exposure – living close to, frequenting, or engaging with environments such as forests and parks – is associated with a range of physical and psychological wellbeing benefits.

Around the world: Protesters fight to flee quarantine

Britain should expel Chinese diplomats after the heavy-handed put down of protests, a cabinet minister suggested, as Tories pushed for a tougher Downing St stance. MPs said it was time for the Government to “get serious” about the challenge posed by China and mocked Rishi Sunak’s recent speech outlining his approach. It came as Chinese citizens across the country clashed with officials enforcing draconian Covid restrictions as they tried to break free from quarantined apartments.

Protesters hold up white paper commemorating the deadly Urumqi fire. Credit: AP

Read also: Emerging voices from choked society

Comment and analysis

Allison Pearson | Our Government is addicted to immigration UK net migration had hit 504,000, the highest figure ever recorded. Overall, an estimated 1.1 million people migrated to the UK in the year to June while some 560,000 left these shores in the same period. Sadly for us, many of those were probably young, highly-motivated professionals in search of a country where they can afford to buy a house, start a family, have the heating on and maybe even enjoy the unimaginable luxury of seeing a doctor if they don’t feel well. Philip Johnston | Labour’s crusade against private schools independent schools are in the firing line, with Labour threatening to add 20 per cent VAT to fees and remove the charitable status that many enjoy. This would put private education out of the reach of thousands more parents. Tim Stanley | Olena Zelenska proves we need not feel impotent Olena Zelenska is immaculate: blond hair tied back, grey coat with black collar and black heels. She almost never smiles. She is an ordinary woman married to a comedian who, by a twist of fate, was elected president of Ukraine. And then the Russians invaded. Her job now is to tell the world about the war crimes. Telegraph View | China shows how not to handle a pandemic The clampdown in China against protests over the continuing lockdowns has been rightly condemned around the world. It should be observed, however, that in this country during the pandemic there were scientists who also wanted to pursue a zero-Covid strategy and were prepared to see the country shut down for as long as it took. Those who argued against this approach on grounds of personal liberty and, more practically, the impact on the economy were shouted down. + Read also: Emerging voices from choked society Reader letters | How can British households be weaned off gas? At 19.13 on November 28, Britain was consuming 38.3 gigawatts. Of this, 0.6 were being supplied by wind (Letters, November 29) and, it being dark, nothing at all came from solar. Gas- fired power stations were providing 22.1, and nuclear 4. The bulk of the rest was imported from Europe.

Editor’s choice

	Be more Bear Grylls | Ed Cumming tries to improve his mental attitude
	Advent | Fed up with calendars full of tat? Here’s how to make your own + Find also to read: Advent and advent calendars
	Shattering a dynasty | The siblings rebuilding a priceless porcelain collection It was the finest collection of 17th-century Chinese porcelain anywhere in the world. But Sir Michael Butler’s beloved hoard of late Ming and early Qing pots also proved to be a multimillion-pound bomb at the heart of his family – detonating immediately after the patriarch’s death and shattering the clan’s relationships into tiny pieces.

Business briefing: Hinkley could be delayed for 11 years Britain’s flagship Hinkley Point C nuclear power station could be delayed for 11 years, piling further pressure on efforts to keep the lights on. A new contract between the Government and EDF, a French power supplier, provides for the plant to be funded even if it does not start operating until 2036. Meanwhile, Republican rising star Ron DeSantis has warned Apple that banning Twitter from the iPhone would be a “huge mistake” as a row rages over free speech on the social network.

Here is a selection of articles we think you’ll be interested in today.

David Miliband hints at return to politics SNP urged to return ‘missing’ £600k raised for Nicola Sturgeon’s thwarted IndyRef2 campaign Nicola Sturgeon heckled with ‘shame on you’ during male violence speech Sturgeon told she ‘cannot use general election as de facto Indyref2’ Opinion – Nightmare of British taxpayers’ money being used to push the break up of Britain may be over