Saturday morning UK news briefing: Today's top headlines from The Telegraph

1. Avoid A&E, says NHS as winter crisis bites early

The NHS is to launch a campaign urging the public to avoid A&E in an echo of appeals to protect the health service during the Covid pandemic.

The head of the NHS has instructed hospitals to prepare a public awareness campaign calling for people to “minimise” pressures on urgent and emergency services. Read the full story.

2. GCSE appeals expected to hit record high this year

GCSE appeals are expected to hit a record high this year as top grades are set to fall.

Pupils who watched their siblings and schoolmates in years above achieve inflated grades during the pandemic may not have realistic expectations about results this year, education specialists have warned. Read the full story.

3. Michael Gove backs Rishi Sunak as next Conservative party leader

Michael Gove has endorsed Rishi Sunak to be the next Conservative leader, accusing Liz Truss of taking a "holiday from reality" with her tax plans.

The former Cabinet minister suggested the Foreign Secretary's proposals would put "the stock options of FTSE 100 executives" before the nation's poorest people. Read the full story.

4. Face masks are ‘creeping back’, MPs claim

Face masks are “creeping back” into schools, hospitals and shopping centres, over a dozen MPs and peers have warned.

This is despite their “physical, psychological and environmental” consequences and the fact that they act as a “barrier” to resuming normal life, the group argued. Read the full story.

5. Firewood sales to surge by a fifth as households turn to stoves to stay warm this winter

Sales of firewood are expected to surge by a fifth this winter as millions of households burn wood to keep warm in the wake of rocketing energy prices.

Britain's largest supplier, Certainly Wood, said that demand has already started to increase as consumers prepare for the weather to turn. Read the full story.