Thursday morning news briefing: France goes into second lockdown

President Macron warns Europe is being 'overrun'

First Germany, now France... is Britain next? France will be plunged into a second lockdown tomorrow after Emmanuel Macron said Europe was being "overrun" by a second wave of coronavirus which would be "harder, more deadly than the first". The French president ordered the closure of non-essential shops - along with bars and restaurants - and told people to stay at home unless they had documentation showing why they needed to go to work or make other journeys. Germany also announced a new national lockdown. Both countries are recording fewer daily deaths than Britain. The FTSE 100 Index plunged 2.6 per cent amid news of the new shutdowns. Read how the rest of the continent is dealing with an alarming rise in cases. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard says Europe's double-dip lockdowns will be followed by double-dip slumps that threaten to overwhelm economic defences.

Boris Johnson - who in March was accused of waiting too long before imposing lockdown - is under pressure from Labour to impose a national "circuit breaker". He will meet ministers to decide if regional lockdowns are necessary in November after his scientific advisers predicted 85,000 people could die in the UK during a second wave of the virus - twice as many as in the original spike. According to leaked Sage documents, a longer, flatter peak could continue into March. Matt is away, but today's political cartoon by Davey sees Mr Johnson as a rabbit in the headlights.

Bank app boss is UK's first tech start-up billionaire

A Russian-born banking app boss has been revealed as Britain's first technology start-up billionaire in The Telegraph's new Tech Hot 100 ranking of the industry's richest leaders. Nikolay Storonsky, 36, who co-founded the online finance firm Revolut in 2014, has a net worth of £1.06 billion based on his holding in the company. The ranking reveals that the total wealth of Britain's most successful start-up chiefs rose from £4.5 billion last year to £8.5 billion. View the full list of start-up founders whose dynamism and thirst to succeed have weathered Covid's storm.

Weldon's husband has the last word after break-up

Fay Weldon's husband has expressed his hurt at their break-up through poetry, saying he was "discarded cruelly on a whim". The 89-year-old author revealed she had walked out on Nick Fox, her third husband, after 26 years of marriage - accusing him of "coercive control and financial mismanagement". But Mr Fox, who managed his wife's affairs, said he felt he had been treated "like a dog". He has penned a series of poems about the split. Read his "separation sonnet". And Liz Hoggard reflects on the life and loves of Ms Weldon, a woman full of surprises.

At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

• Masks | Wash them every day at 60C to kill virus, say scientists

• Testing | Up to 10pc of population could have weekly tests

• Cancer | Up to 50,000 are living undiagnosed, charity warns

• Economics | Poorest hit hardest in the pocket by coronavirus

• At-a-glance | What the three-tier lockdown rules mean for you

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

US election | Voters have been warned by the top election official in the key state of Pennsylvania to stop sending ballots by post amid looming legal fights. It came as Republicans went to the US Supreme Court to try to overturn a rule that ballots arriving up to three days after election day could be counted. Overnight, Nigel Farage delivered a surprise speech at a Donald Trump rally. This is how the Trump v Biden polls are shaping up. I can also recommend our pop-up election night WhatsApp group.

• HRT | Breast cancer risk for patients 'far higher than feared'

• BBC 'bias' | Stars made to declare their outside earnings

• Rhodes deaths | Two British teenagers killed while parasailing

• Migrants | Call for manslaughter charge against traffickers

• Tracey Emin | Artist hoping 'to get past Christmas' after cancer op

Around the world: Polish minister stoking civil war

Pro-choice campaigners accused a Polish leader of stirring "civil war" after he urged members of the public to protect churches from being targeted in protests over a controversial abortion ruling. Read Matthew Day's dispatch from Warsaw. View our gallery of more world pictures.

Comment and analysis

• Allister Heath | Dodgy accounting cannot lead us into lockdown

• Michael Deacon | Attenborough stunt is a monumental own-goal

• Anthony Peregrine | French jobsworths exult in rule enforcement

• Tony Smith | We cannot make Channel safe without France's help

• Reader letters | Still reason to hope for effective Covid-19 vaccine

Editor's choice: Features and arts

1. 'I've not held the love of my life since March' | Why isn't Robert allowed to see his wife?

2. Tim Vincent | Why I launched a parenting radio panel show for fathers

3. My friend Benazir Bhutto | 'From Oxford pals to political prisoner - a 30-year friendship'

Business and money briefing

Private sector scrambled | Ministers are scrambling to hire consultants to bolster their Covid-19 Task Force amid fears Whitehall will be overwhelmed by a coronavirus surge, according to documents seen by The Telegraph. The Cabinet Office has issued a request for experts able to respond "rapidly to any worsening Covid crisis".

• Paid-for current accounts | Banks could unite over account fees

• Investment tip | If inflation soars, this is the trust to buy

• Alex cartoon | See our cartoonist's latest work on world of finance

Sport briefing

Rugby union | England players will be left out of next year's British and Irish Lions squad in the case of a close selection call after Premiership Rugby vowed not to release them for a key training camp or warm-up game, according to head coach Warren Gatland. The Premiership final is set to take place on the same day next year as the Lions face Japan.

• Man United 5 RB Leipzig 0 | Rashford caps incredible week

• Arsenal | Just one defensive injury away from 'big trouble'

• 'Project Big Picture' | Championship sides push for revival

Tonight's dinner

Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley | Diana Henry says this is one of the best things she cooks - like a substantial version of chicken soup. Read the recipe.

And finally... for this morning's downtime

'An absolute ad-lib from the beginning' | The late rocker Tom Petty's 1994 album Wildflowers is so heartbreakingly perfect, his band mates cannot bear to listen to it today. They reveal to Ian Winwood how the masterpiece was made.