Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has ordered a Cabinet Office investigation into claims that the Chief Whip cited an MP’s Muslim faith when she was sacked from the front bench.

Mark Spencer took the highly unusual step of outing himself as the whip referred to in Islamophobia claims made by Nusrat Ghani, who said that her “Muslimness” was raised when she was fired as a junior transport minister in 2020. 

As Deputy Political Editor Lucy Fisher reports, Ms Ghani accused the Prime Minister of failing to take the matter seriously when she reported it to him directly.

Ukraine calls for British soldiers to join their troops

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has called for British soldiers to be deployed in the event of a Russian invasion. Vadym Prystaiko said Britain offered “special support” within Nato and that Kyiv would “invite partners like Britain to intervene with actual soldiers on Ukrainian soil, given that we are threatened by military forces much greater than our own”. Overnight, the United States ordered the families of its diplomats in the Ukrainian capital to leave the country “due to the continued threat”. It comes after Britain accused Russia of plotting to install a puppet leader, as James Rothwell reports from Kyiv. And Ambrose Evans-Pritchard explains why Vladimir Putin will never have another chance like this to overthrow the European strategic order.

The midlife health habits that can change your life

Given up on your New Year’s resolutions to improve your well-being? If you have already ditched the diet, you are not alone. Adopting a healthier lifestyle as we get older is not something we can afford to ignore. But fear not – Sam Rice has the solution to long-term success, with nine practical midlife health habits that should stick and are proven to deliver results.

Today’s political cartoon

View Blower‘s latest cartoon as he imagines life inside a civil servant’s home-working setup. Matt is away.

Also in the news: Today’s other headlines

Trawlers are ‘napalming Channel’ | Foreign trawlers are dumping fish in the Channel and the Government is refusing to take action to curb the practice. Footage obtained by The Telegraph shows a Dutch fly-shooter dumping thousands of fish by cutting open a net. There are strict limits on bass because of depleted numbers, but fly-shooters catch them accidentally while fishing for other species and must then return them.

Around the world: Assault underlines IS threat

More than 200 people have been killed in clashes between Islamic State (IS) and US-backed Kurdish forces in north-east Syria after the jihadists launched an assault on a prison holding thousands of its former fighters. Reporting from Beirut, Abbie Cheeseman says the violence marks the Islamist group’s most vicious assault since it lost its territory in Syria.