Welcome to your early-morning news briefing from The Telegraph - a round-up of the top stories we are covering on Wednesday. To receive twice-daily briefings by email, sign up to our Front Page newsletter for free.
1. Emmanuel Macron may offer up UN seat in push for EU army
France's seat on the United Nations Security Council could be put "at the disposal of the European Union" if its governments back Emmanuel Macron's plans for an EU army, a close ally of the French president has said.
Paris is spearheading a diplomatic push for closer EU military integration after Australia pulled out of a £45 billion contract for diesel-powered French submarines and signed the Aukus security pact with the US and UK instead. Read the full story.
2. Hope fades for lone deal with America as Biden warns Johnson over Northern Ireland
Joe Biden issued a warning to Boris Johnson on Tuesday night over the Northern Ireland Protocol as hopes faded of a UK-US trade deal.
During face-to-face talks in the Oval Office, the US president said he believed “very strongly” in protections for peace in Northern Ireland. Mr Johnson and Mr Biden held private talks in what was the Prime Minister’s first visit to the White House since entering Number 10 two years ago. Read the full story.
3. A tenth of prescription medicines given out by GPs unnecessary, finds review
A tenth of prescription medicines doled out by GPs are unnecessary, pushing the NHS drugs bill to more than £9 billion, a landmark review has found.
Patients are routinely being harmed by a “culture” of overprescribing, the investigation found, with a fifth of hospital admissions among pensioners caused by adverse effects of medication. Read the full story.
4. Doctors suffering ‘wave of abuse’ over lack of face-to-face appointments
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors are being subjected to a "wave of abuse" from patients over lack of access to face-to-face appointments.
The union has called for an urgent meeting with Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, amid increasingly fierce rows over the rights of patients to access heal. Read the full story.
5. Prince Andrew defies palace aides to keep faith in UK-based legal team
The Duke of York will keep his embattled UK legal team despite pressure to remove them from some of his closest advisers, The Telegraph can reveal.
There has been growing unease in royal circles that the stonewalling tactics employed since he was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old have battered not only his reputation, but also that of the monarchy. Read the full story.
Stay up-to-date with breaking news and the latest politics from The Telegraph throughout the day.