The Standard

Teachers and unions call for a pause in inspections following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry . Why school leaders are unhappy with one-word assessments. Calls and petitions to reform Ofsted. Our Education Editor Anna Davis explains what has caused this growing pressure on Ofsted, and Julie McCulloch from the ASCL union describes the changes they want the inspectorate to make. In this epi...

Met Police found to be ‘institutionally sexist, racist and homophobic’. Catalogue of failings recorded infecting every level of the force. How the protection of women had been “thrown out of the window”. Our Home Affairs Editor Martin Bentham explains why the Casey Report is the ‘worst in the Met’s history'. Plus Psychologist and CEO of Victim Focus , Dr Jessica Taylor , explains how negative cult...

Thousands of City jobs are at risk after UBS confirmed a takeover of its arch-rival Credit Suisse in a £2.6 billion deal. Credit Suisse is the most significant recent failure of a 'crisis of confidence' that has also seen the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the US - sparking concern over the global banking sector. The Evening Standard’s Financial Editor, Simon English, explains the significance...

This is a bonus episode taken from our business show How to be a CEO. Russell Glass is the CEO of Headspace, the app designed to teach users how to meditate, do yoga, and practise mindfulness more regularly. Russell took to meditation himself after watching a talk by founder of Headspace Andy Puddicombe, and became CEO in October 2021. Russell discusses how the concept of meditation has become mor...

Sir Christopher Wren is called the "first modern architect" and designed St Paul’s Cathedral - how does his legacy shape 21st Century London? We speak to former Through the Keyhole and MasterChef star Loyd Grossman, a heritage campaigner and chairman of the City’s of London's Gresham College, plus archaeologist John Darlington, who’s executive director of World Monuments Fund Britain. Three hundre...

Credit Suisse is borrowing nearly £45 billion from Switzerland’s central bank in the hope of calming nerves as its share value tumbled...and then bounced back. The bailout follows a week of jitters in the global banking sector, after the collapse of three US banks: Silicon Valley, Signature and Silvergate. So, how concerned should consumers be about their savings and current accounts, and is it 20...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s first Budget - how will it impact you? Analysis with Evening Standard deputy political editor David Bond and Antonia Jennings of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies. In this episode: How the Budget affects the pound in your pocket Hunt’s post-Covid “back-to-work” plan Chancellor promises to “halve inflation” Energy cap latest Pension allowances shake-up Council servic...

The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s been teasing controversial plans to get more people on benefits, and also early retirees, back into the workplace. What else do we know about Jeremy Hunt’s first Budget? The Leader podcast’s joined by Dr James Meadway, a council member at the Progressive Economy Forum and former Labour economic policy advisor. In this episode, we also discuss: What a higher tax-fr...

HSBC has snapped up the British arm of Silicon Valley Bank for just £1 in a government and Bank of England-brokered private sale. Deal marks the most significant such bailout since the 2008 financial crisis and follows late-night talks over the weekend after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank’s US parent company, amid concerns about liquidity. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt insisted all...

We all know who Deborah Meaden is - entrepreneur, investor, long-serving Dragon in the den… and environmental campaigner. Deborah’s involvement with climate causes go back to her college days, and now it’s an increasingly important part of her business. In this episode we talk about:  The urgency of the environment crisis and how business needs to react  Why she would never work in the o...

Lesley Paterson, the Scottish producer and screenwriter of Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front shares the story of how after 16 long years, the film finally came to fruition.  Lesley discusses how her career as a professional triathlete helped fund the project, her childhood love of the original novel and how she approached screenwriting for a German film - without actually knowing the l...

The Police Federation of England and Wales is demanding a minimum 17% pay increase for officers - and suggest their salaries are negatively affected by restrictions on their right to strike. Police officers have been prohibited from striking by law for over a century, with the most recent legislation being the Police Act 1996.  Steve Hartshorn, National Chair of the PFEW, discusses the diffic...

To mark International Women’s Day, we’re going behind London’s Women of the World festival.  Run by the WOW foundation, it all started off at London’s Southbank Centre back in 2010 and has since grown exponentially. It’s now held in 30 locations across six continents. The event celebrates the achievements of women and girls but also confronts global gender injustices.  Jude Kelly, founde...

Government accused of breaking international law as full details of its immigration bill are revealed – with UK likened to Russia and Belarus over small boat crossings plan. The Evening Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, breaks down the controversial bill and looks at the potential political ramifications. In part two, Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, explains why t...

Social housing tenants are being urged to complain about shoddy and dangerous housing in a major new Government advertising campaign. Housing Secretary Michael Gove hopes it will encourage tenants to voice complaints first to landlords and then to the Housing Ombudsman if necessary, in an attempt to “shine a light” on rogue landlords. Suzanne Muna, secretary of SHAC - Social Housing Action Campaig...

Arne Schepker has been CEO of the language learning business Babbel since 2015. This is a bonus episode taken from our business podcast, How to be a CEO . To listen to the full episode click here. In this episode: What is it about Babbel that keeps him from leaving the job? How Babbel deals with competition from other language-learning apps This is how Babbel deals with hybrid working, and how the...

There’s always a new fad diet, fitness trend or alleged ‘quick fix’ and the latest one is called semaglutide - also known by brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. It’s an injection originally intended to be used to treat Type 2 diabetes, but influencers and celebrities are now taking it to achieve their ideal bodies… even billionaire Elon Musk has admitted to being a fan. But, as with all these so-calle...

Today Just for Laughs London, the capital’s newest annual comedy festival, starts its takeover of the O2 arena for four days.  It’s the latest spin-off of the huge international event which was first founded 40 years ago in Canada and helped established comedy superstars such as Amy Schumer and Kevin Hart.  But now it’s London’s turn, with Ryan Reynolds, Graham Norton and Katherine Ryan...

Around 200,000 teachers set to strike this week. Could teachers earn more working at a petrol station? Education Secretary Gillian Keegan calls strikes ‘unforgivable’. Do parents support the action? Our Education Editor Anna Davis explains the context behind the latest industrial action, and Headteacher Dave McPartlin discusses why the strikes are about more than just pay. In this episode: Context...

What is different about this latest Northern Ireland Brexit deal ? The ‘green’ and ‘red’ lanes for trade with Great Britain. Could this latest Brexit deal boost relations with the USA? The Evening Standard’s Political Editor Nicholas Cecil explains what the ‘Windsor Framework’ is, and what it means for the UK. In this episode: What is the background to this latest deal? The three key benefits of t...

Supermarket bosses meet with ministers for ‘emergency meeting’ . Lidl becomes the latest store to ration vegetables . Salad crisis ‘not a one off event’. Professor Christopher Elliot from Queen’s University Belfast explains how the salad crisis might be fixed. Plus we speak with the Evening Standard's Business Editor Jonathan Prynn about the upcoming rise in energy bills , and whether gas costs wi...

Nearly twenty years ago, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones ploughed money from a successful career in marketing into a food business. From day one he took risks, choosing to call his brand ‘The Black Farmer,’ despite research telling him to avoid the “edgy name”. In this episode we talk about:  How he built The Black Farmer brand  His belief that good people will find you “if you put it out there”&...

In this special episode of The Leader on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we’re finding out how vital school supplies are giving Ukrainian children ‘the routine of a regular, normal day’. In the year since the war began, millions have been displaced from their homes and schools. As of January 2023, 3,025 kindergartens, schools and colleges have been attacked and more than 400 destr...

Could Londoners in the near future glide around the capital on Tube trains powered by the sun and wind? The Leader podcast looks at a project that’s already harnessing solar power to help electrify a commuter line into the capital. Meanwhile, TfL is also researching viability of using more renewable energy - could it help cut ticket prices? We’re joined by Leo Murray, co-founder of train-tech star...

As more supermarkets enforce vegetables, salad and fruit rationing, what’s causing the shortages and bare shelves? Plus, hacking the system by shopping locally and guerrilla gardening allotments for more sustainable, cheaper fresh greens. Analysis with Lucy Antal, lead for food justice at Feedback Global and Evening Standard business reporter Simon Hunt. Discover more about how to enter the Evenin...