Wednesday evening news briefing: Christmas travel hit by airport strikes

Good evening. Christmas travellers face holiday flight chaos after Border Force staff announced plans to strike on eight days. At the same time, Rishi Sunak promised tough new laws at PMQs. But, first, the headlines...

Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines

Royals | The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vowed their fight against oppression is only "beginning". The couple collected a human rights award just 24 hours before the launch of their Netflix show, which takes aim at the Royal family and British media. In her latest column, Allison Pearson explains why she thinks the late Diana, Princess of Wales would be appalled at the damage Harry is doing to William. And Matthew Lynn suspects that the Sussexes' corporate backers will pay a price.

• Ukraine latest | Vladimir Putin warns risk of nuclear war 'rising'

• Boost for Sturgeon | Majority of Scots back independence in poll

• 'I've found a new world' | Matt Hancock to stand down as MP

• Pictures | House explodes 'after woman put key in front door'

• Watch | Field of cows herd on-the-run criminal into police arms

The big story: Border staff to strike over Christmas

Unions have today put another nail in the coffin of the Christmas holiday getaway. Millions of air passengers face potential travel misery as border officials at airports become the latest group of workers to plan strikes over pay and conditions.

About 1,000 Border Force staff who are members of the PCS union will take action for eight days from Dec 23.

The move could see the return of queues that last hit airports when Covid restrictions were lifted and there were insufficient trained staff to meet demand.

The Government put on standby 600 military personnel and hundreds more civil servants who will plug the gaps in border and immigration controls left by striking workers.

Home affairs editor Charles Hymas has details of the affected airports and strike dates.

Meanwhile, ambulance workers and paramedics could be banned from striking after Rishi Sunak pledged "tough" new laws to tackle a wave of public sector walkouts.

A Whitehall source said ministers were looking at "all the options" and that a ban on emergency NHS workers taking action is among the most "extreme".

The Prime Minister told MPs how his new laws would crack down on public sector unions unless their bosses backed down on "unreasonable" demands.

In his analysis, Jeremy Warner says strikes are the grim result of a failure to control inflation.

Bill to keep rail workers

As the RMT union presses ahead with strikes from next week, the Transport Secretary has claimed that taxpayers paid the equivalent of more than £300,000 to keep each rail worker in their job during Covid.

Mark Harper cited the bill to keep services during the pandemic as the reason that the railways must be reformed during questioning by a parliamentary committee.

The rail industry was exempt from putting workers on furlough during the health crisis, meaning staff did not have to suffer a 20pc cut in pay like millions of other Britons.

On top of next week's industrial action, union leaders announced walk-outs over the key Christmas weekend. Here is a full calendar of the action.

Sunak's disappearing act

Sir Keir Starmer thought he was being clever when he called him the "blancmange Prime Minister who wobbled" at Prime Minister's Questions.

Yet a pink pudding that clearly distinguishes itself from its dessert trolley rivals is not what Tory MPs think of in their current appraisal of Rishi Sunak.

Associate editor Camilla Tominey says one of the reasons he is so heartily cheered in the Commons is because it is one of the only times the country sees him.

She writes about the perception that it has been a case of lesser-spotted Sunak since he assumed office.

Comment and analysis

• Henry Hill | Sunak running out of time to show crisis strength

• David Davis | How No 10 should tackle the Channel migrant crisis

• Gerard O'Donovan | Woman's Hour shuns woke consensus

• Alan Cochrane | Sturgeon finally has a rival for SNP leader

• Matt Ridley | The sinister truth about bird-killing wind 'farms'

World news: China's zero-Covid policy far from over

China may be loosening its coronavirus restrictions – the tightest in the world – but Xi Jinping's "zero-Covid" policies live on. Draconian contact tracing surveillance has become another tool for social control under the leader of the Communist Party. It is nowhere near being rolled back. Tagging someone as a close contact still means restricting their mobility significantly – something the government has been quick to deploy to confine at home those deemed troublemakers, such as protesters and human rights lawyers. Sophia Yan has our report from Taipei.

Wednesday interview: 'I looked into my father's eyes and saw shame'

The winner of this year's Cassandra Jardine Prize for young women writers is 25-year-old Eleanor Myers. She describes the torment of growing up with a drug addict father. Read the interview

Sport briefing: Imagining Steve Borthwick's England

Part of the reason Eddie Jones lost his job as England head coach was that his team had lost its tactical identity. They seemed to be stretching across two stools and continually fell between them, says senior rugby writer Charlie Morgan, as he imagines the line-up, the captain and the coaches under the fastidious operator. In the World Cup, we have ranked every remaining team – and only two countries are ahead of England.

Editor's choice

'Immunity debt' | Did lockdowns really lower our children's protection?

Shopping | 'How I nearly fell for the great Amazon Christmas chocolate rip-off'

Go bold or go home | Full make-up is back as old-school glamour returns

Business briefing: Macron's 'nonsense' flights ban plan

Emmanuel Macron's flagship environmental policy to ban domestic flying in France has been condemned as "complete and utter nonsense" by the body that represents global airlines. France is to outlaw flights between destinations where there is an existing rail connection that takes less than two-and-a-half hours. Oliver Gill explains the rules, which the European Commission signed off earlier this week and which are expected to come into force in the New Year. Meanwhile, British Gas is accused of "weaponising" its older customers in the energy war.

Tonight starts now

Layers to keep you warm | Is it ever truly possible to look stylish in a snowstorm? For some it may not feel like a priority, but for many it is a necessity – who wants to turn up at the board meeting, the Christmas lunch or the charity carol concert with icy hair and soggy layers? As the so-called "Troll of Trondheim" hits the UK, with highs of just 1C by Sunday, there are a few clever wardrobe hacks worth employing. Caroline Leaper recommends stylish items for adverse conditions.

Three things for you

• Watch | TV: I’m An Alcoholic: Inside Recovery, BBC Two, 9pm

• Review | A Christmas Carol: Cleverly reimagined Dickens favourite

• Book | Travel: The overlooked neighbour of the Lake District

And finally... for this evening's downtime

'My own Zoolander moment' | One day, he was at school in Ireland; the next, Sonny Drummond was modelling for Dior. After a chance meeting with a talent scout at a festival earlier this year, the 17-year-old got to walk along a catwalk in front of the pyramids in Egypt. He describes his rapid rise from sports-obsessed class pupil to model.