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. New Covid restrictions to last until March

       New Covid rules on self-isolation have been enshrined in law until March, as Tory MPs warned Boris Johnson that restricting freedoms was a path “towards hell”.

       The regulations forcing people to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone who has the omicron variant or risk a fine of up to ￡10,000 - even if they are fully vaccinated - will not expire until March 24, under legislation passed by the Commons on Tuesday. Read the full story.

       2. ‘Biggest cancer catastrophe ever’ to hit NHS as up to 740,000 potential cases missed

       Up to 740,000 potential cancer cases that should have been urgently referred by GPs have been “missed” since the first lockdown, according to a damning report.

       Watchdogs also warned that NHS waiting lists could keep growing until 2025 and even reach double the current six million. Read the full story.

       3. Donald Trump tells Boris Johnson he is making a ‘big mistake’ by backing wind power

       Boris Johnson is “making a big mistake” by trying to turn the UK into the Saudi Arabia of wind, Donald Trump has said.

       The former US president said that wind farms were “horrible”, “ridiculous”, “kill all the birds” and “start to rust” after a couple of years. They were only backed by environmentalists “who hate the world”, he said. Read the full story.

       4. Ghislaine Maxwell was in the room during Jeffrey Epstein abuse, says accuser in sex-trafficking trial

       The first accuser to take the stand in the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell broke down on Tuesday as she described how the British socialite “fondled” her breasts and forced her to take part in orgies with other young girls.

       The woman, known by the pseudonym “Jane”, pointed Ms Maxwell out in the New York federal courtroom on the second day of the bombshell trial when asked by the prosecution if she was present. Read the full story.

       5. New ‘handyman’ repair service will help elderly stay at home longer

       A "handyman-style" service will be established to make repairs and adaptations to elderly people’s houses so that they can stay at home under social care plans due to be unveiled on Wednesday.

       The Telegraph understands that several-hundred million pounds will also be pumped into new supported housing, helping local authorities to provide a greater range of care and housing options for eligible residents. Read the full story.

       Stay up-to-date with breaking news and the latest politics from The Telegraph throughout the day.