French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is likely to face a no-confidence vote, after using a constitutional mechanism to force through a divisive budget despite the far-right National Rally threatening to bring down the government if he did so.

In a "dramatic move", Marine Le Pen had given Barnier until today to amend what she called a "bad, unjust and violent" budget, said Politico. There are fears in French financial markets that the fall of the government could "precipitate a eurozone-wide crisis".

What is in Barnier's budget?
It includes €60 billion (£50 billion) of spending cuts and tax rises, including proposed cuts to welfare, health, pensions and local government. He says the measures are necessary to reduce the French national deficit, which is projected to come in at 6.1% of gross domestic product in 2024, to 5% of GDP in 2025.

Why could the government collapse?
Barnier is in a vulnerable position because he presides over the hung parliament that emerged after Emmanuel Macron's snap election this summer. His cobbled-together majority relies on the far-right National Rally, which has seized the opportunity to maximise its leverage.

Le Pen, who leads National Rally's parliamentary grouping, said she would order her MPs to back a motion of no confidence in the government unless Barnier agreed to "soften the blow" to her "mainly working-class supporters" from the planned budget cuts, said The Times. The prime minister had made concessions including dropping plans to raise a tax on electricity, but his use of the constitutional article 49.3, allowing him to push the budget through without a vote, is almost certain to trigger a no-confidence motion.

What could happen next?
The no-confidence motion is expected to be floated imminently – if it is triggered today, MPs could vote as soon as Wednesday.

Barnier has said that toppling the government could cause a "big storm and very serious turbulence" in financial markets. But National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy said the PM was wielding the "fear of chaos" to force through an unjust budget. Even so, bringing down the government would carry "some risks" for Le Pen's party, said Politico. National Rally has "assiduously worked to clean up its image" and present itself as "a responsible force ready to take the reins of government – not burn the house down".

For the first time in World Beekeeping Awards history, there will be no prize for honey at its annual congress, in Denmark next year, due to concerns about supply chain fraud.

The "inability to have honey fully tested for adulteration" was behind the decision, said Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations, at the weekend.

Complex supply chain
The UK is the planet's biggest importer of cheap Chinese honey, which experts say comes with a known risk of being bulked out with low-cost syrups. In October, tests commissioned by the Honey Authenticity Network found that 24 out of 25 jars of honey from British retailers were considered "suspicious", but all five samples from UK-based beekeepers were the real deal.

"For anyone feeling duped, it's worth knowing the elaborate lengths these imposters go to," said Hannah Twiggs in The Independent. The complex supply chain, coupled with its high price point, makes the sticky spread "particularly attractive to fraudsters". Syrups made from cheap crops can easily be whisked into jars of premium honey to bulk them out, taking advantage of "outdated" adulteration tests that can only pick up on certain syrups. While these fillers "look and pour" like the real thing, they lack the nutrients or antioxidants that make genuine honey a "natural, healthy delight".

Retailers flogging foreign blends at "suspiciously low prices" drive down prices and standards, forcing British beekeepers to rely on farmers markets "just to stay afloat" as supermarkets are reluctant to pay for top-quality. 

Testing jars
It's not all bad news, though. Scientists at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire claim they have found a new testing method that can detect fake honey, without even having to open the jar, said the BBC. The method uses a specialist light analysis technique called Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy to spot sugar syrups.

Currently this involves "bulky equipment", said William Hunter in the Daily Mail, but the technology has already been implemented into a portable device and researchers hope a "mini version" could soon become available so consumers could check their honeys at home.  For now, the best assurance remains, where possible, buying directly from beekeepers.

It's hard to beat a festive hamper crammed with delicious treats, so we've rounded up a few of the best to indulge in this Christmas.

Christmas Hamper, Rick Stein
Unsurprisingly, Rick Stein can be relied on to deliver outstanding foodie goods. The celebrity chef's gourmet hamper is stuffed with treats directly from his deli in Padstow. Each wicker basket contains two bottles of Stein's Spanish wine, spicy apple and walnut chutney, figs in cognac and more.

Classic Christmas Cookies & Macarons, Baked by Steph
What started as a side hustle making cookies in her flat turned into a fully fledged business when Stephanie Giordano set up her bakery in east London. Her intricately designed iced biscuits (pictured above) and cupcakes look almost too pretty to eat.

The Typical Hamper, Fattoria La Vialla
Italy has long been regarded as a culinary mecca and you can't go wrong with a hamper bursting with Tuscan goods. Fattoria La Vialla produces its own wines, olive oils, cheeses and biscuits at its family-run biodynamic organic farm near Arezzo in Chianti. Its "Typical" hamper is brimming with rustic goodies including a jar of rich, spicy tomato sauce, fennel sausages, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a generous hunk of 12-month-aged pecorino.

The Night Before Christmas Hamper, DukesHill
This decadent hamper from DukesHill, known for championing artisan producers, is brimming with savoury and sweet selections. The assortment of goodies includes cracked black-pepper crackers, caramelised hazelnuts and a box of addictively good fudge.

Is Keir Starmer turning into Rishi Sunak?
Katy Balls in The Spectator
The PM is "trying to turn the page on a torrid start to his premiership" with "a series of new ambitious targets", writes Katy Balls, but he need only "look back to July" to see the risks. Keir Starmer's new goals have an air of the "five priorities" set out by Rishi Sunak who, after claiming the top job, "set himself a series of targets" intended to "restore trust in politics": that "turned out to be much harder than many thought".

Biden's pardon of his son pours fuel on Trump's claims of politicised justice
Stephen Collinson on CNN
Joe Biden's pardoning of his son Hunter has "deepened an entanglement of politics and the rule of law" that has "tarnished faith" in US justice, writes Stephen Collinson. Coming after prosecutors dropped criminal cases against Donald Trump on the grounds that "presidents can't be prosecuted", the "convergence of legal controversies" raises questions about the "bedrock notion" that "everyone – even presidents and their families – are equal before the law".

'Not all men!' I've always said. After Gregg Wallace, I'm starting to doubt it
Kevin Maher in The Times
After the allegations against Gregg Wallace and other broadcasters, "I'm beginning to have my doubts" about my reliance on the "mewling chant" of "Not all men!", writes Kevin Maher. "Not all men are guilty of sexually inappropriate behaviour", but a startling number of those "on telly" appear to be. Perhaps TV "attracts a certain type of megalomaniacal, thin-skinned yet narcissistic man", who "only functions as the focus of attention when all their needs are being met".