A spending splurge to see off Sturgeon

Plus: Learn how to declutter your home, meet novelist Hilary Mantel and the bitter election clash in Hartlepool revealed [View in browser]( Monday May 3 2021 [The Telegraph]( By Chris Evans, EDITOR Dear Reader, On Thursday, polling day for local elections finally arrives in England, after a year-long delay due to Covid-19. We provide all the details, including what time polls open and which councils are taking part, in [this helpful summary](. More than 5,000 seats will be fought over, but in few places will the candidacy be as tightly contested as in Hartlepool, where a furious turf war has erupted. But are voters in the northern town’s by-election concerned by the recent Downing Street affairs or will local issues be the deciding factor? Sherelle Jacobs explores [whether voters will be sticking to old allegiances]( in this thought-provoking piece. May 6 also marks the date of the Scottish elections, when 129 MSPs will be elected to Holyrood. Boris Johnson is expected to launch a "desperate counter-offensive" to head off Nicola Sturgeon and forestall an independence bid, should the SNP gain ground on Thursday. Ahead of the contest, Christopher Hope looks at [how the Prime Minister plans to spend billions of pounds]( on road, rail and other transport infrastructure to help save the Union. The ban on foreign holidays is set to be lifted and replaced with a [much-discussed "traffic light system"]( in two weeks. Further details are expected in the coming days, but the European Commission has today proposed that Europe should reopen to vaccinated travellers, raising hopes for summer holidays abroad. [You can follow the latest updates on our liveblog.]( Finally, novelist Hilary Mantel is a "woman of quite extraordinary drive", with two Booker prizes to her name alongside award-winning TV adaptations and a RSC play. Here she talks to Jessamy Calkin about [penning the final pages of the Wolf Hall trilogy]( her quiet life in seaside Budleigh Salterton and what it is like to manage a debilitating illness for more than 40 years. Chris PS [Sign up today]( for a free one-month trial of our website and new app, and then pay just £1 per month for the next three months. My Choices [Chancellor Rishi Sunak visited the Northern School of Art during a campaign visit to Hartlepool]( [Are sleaze claims cutting through in the Red Wall?]( We explore whether old allegiances are holding strong in Hartlepool, ahead of Thursday's critical by-election. (Free to read) [Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon sit in separate armchairs either side of a fireplace]( Billions are earmarked for the Scots as [Boris Johnson plans a spending spree to save the Union]( with sources fearing an 'awful' election result later this week. [Dutch tourists are currently on holiday in Spain as part of a trial which could pave the way for wider reopenings]( Europe should reopen to fully vaccinated foreign travellers, European Commission says. [Follow the latest updates here.]( (Free to read) [Hilary Mantel on a grand staircase]( [Hilary Mantel on how she celebrated finishing the epic Wolf Hall trilogy]( her debilitating illness and the future of the monarchy. [O’Callaghan with his wife Carina and their children Camille, Stephanie and Ethan in a bare room]( '[I threw out 95 per cent of my possessions]( after getting stressed by clutter': Find out what happened after Jason O'Callaghan ditched the 'stuff' - and learn how you can too. [Mariella Novotny in 1971]( Novelist, call girl, double agent: Read about how Mariella Novotny, the Queen of 1960s London's 'permissive society', [mixed with statesmen, strippers and spies – then vanished](. What did you think? Let us know how we're doing using the feedback button below or tweet me [@chrisevans1](. Although I am unable to respond individually to all the emails I receive, I am grateful to you for sending them to me. [Send feedback](mailto:Totheeditor@telegraph.co.uk) We hope you enjoyed our newsletter. If you have questions or feedback, please visit our [help page](. If you have questions about your Telegraph subscription, including delivery issues or technical ones, [please visit this page]( and contact us that way. If you would like a letter to the Editor published in The Telegraph, email it to [dtletters@telegraph.co.uk.](mailto:dtletters@telegraph.co.uk) Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers. See more Telegraph newsletters [Front Bench]( | [Cookbook]( | [Cars]( | [Good News]( We have sent you this email because you have either asked us to or because we think it will interest you. [Unsubscribe]( | [Update your preferences]( For any other questions, please visit our help page [here](. Any offers included in this email come with their own Terms and Conditions, which you can see by clicking on the offer link. We may withdraw offers without notice. Telegraph Media Group Limited or its group companies - 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT. Registered in England under No 451593.