Welcome to your early morning news briefing from The Telegraph - a round-up of the top stories we are covering on Monday. To receive twice-daily briefings by email, sign up to our Front Page newsletter for free.
1. Schools plan to send home whole year groups as Covid fears mount
Schools are drawing up plans to send whole year groups home amid growing concern that the Covid omicron variant will lead to staff shortages spiralling out of control in January.
Headteachers have warned the Prime Minister that they may be forced to prioritise key age groups for time in the classroom, while others are told to learn remotely. Read the full story.
2. Steer clear of learning to change gears, young drivers are told
Young drivers increasingly no longer need to learn how to change gear ahead of the coming revolution in electric cars, the President of the AA has said.
Edmund King said younger learners were already choosing “simpler” lessons in automatic cars because new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from the roads in 2030. Read the full story.
3. Exclusive: Lockdown may have sent would-be terrorists on ‘dark journey’ to radicalisation, warns Damian Hinds
Britain faces a growing threat from lone terrorists as a result of Covid restrictions, the security minister has warned.
Damian Hinds said that two years of pandemic mitigation measures may have fuelled bedroom radicalisation. “When you have more people who are spending more time in their bedrooms at their computer... you are going to get a growth in that tiny proportion of people for whom that is a dark journey,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph. Read the full story.
4. Children with learning disabilities offered 'do not resuscitate' orders during Covid pandemic
Children with learning disabilities were offered “do not resuscitate” orders during the pandemic, The Telegraph can disclose.
GP surgeries asked if teenagers with autism and Down’s syndrome wanted not to be resuscitated, amid concerns about the pressure on the NHS. Read the full story.
5. UK energy sector faces crisis similar to financial crash, top boss warns
Britain’s energy sector faces a crisis similar to the 2008 financial crash, the boss of a leading supplier has warned ahead of a crunch meeting with the Business Secretary on Monday.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, boss of Ovo Energy, Britain’s second-largest energy supplier, compared the current situation with the delay between the collapse of Northern Rock in 2007, and the downfall of Lehman Brothers a year later. Read the full story.
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