The Standard

Her Majesty’s Passport Office is suffering huge delays following Brexit and the pandemic. Now amid the cost-of-living squeeze, the prime minister is threatening to privatise the service if bosses can’t get a grip on the backlog. Passport Office phone lines are jammed, and even its £142-a-go fast-track website has crashed - so holidaymakers are understandably getting very nervous their travel docum...

Twitter has a new boss… none other than the richest man on the planet, Elon Musk. With the $44 billion takeover confirmed, it has many people concerned about the ethical issues involved with a man of Musks’ power owning such an influential platform. Also, there are worries about the Tesla and SpaceX founder being a self proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’ and what that could mean moving forward.&n...

Misogyny in Parliament… it's still happening. An anonymous Tory MP has made an outrageously offensive allegation to the Mail on Sunday that Labour front bencher Angela Rayner ‘crossed and uncrossed her legs’ during PMQs, in an attempt to ‘distract’ the Prime Minister.  The PM himself has written to Rayner and posted on social media condemning the outrageous allegation and showing his support...

This week we talk to Andy Shovel, co-founder of vegan food brand  THIS  about his business, and how he swapped a burger brand for his new plant-based venture. THIS has become one of the fastest-growing vegan brands in the UK, and this year it’s targeting £20 million pounds in annual revenue and launching what a “huge” range of products. Andy discusses why he swapped a beef burger busines...

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show online shopping has taken a hit, as the cost of living crisis worsens . Online sales dropped by 7.9% in March according to the ONS, following on from a 6.9% fall in February. Meanwhile fuel sales volumes fell by 3.8% as petrol and diesel prices remain high. Rachael Burford , the Evening Standard’s political reporter discusses the drop in online...

Donald Trump has accused Piers Morgan of “doctoring” footage from their latest interview , to make it look like he stormed out. The TV presenter posted a dramatic trailer for his interview with Mr Trump, which is part of a new talk show called Piers Morgan Uncensored. In a statement, Mr Trump alleged the clip was doctored to make him look bad, which Piers denied. The row caused quite a stir in the...

Netflix has lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year, sending the company’s shares plummeting. The streaming giant reported a drop in subscribers for the first time in a decade, causing shares to plunge 27% in pre-market trading . Market research firm Kantar claims it’s partly down to the cost of living crisis in the UK, as people try to save money by cutting out subscription...

A London doctor has described the NHS as ‘hitting rock bottom’, as the number of people in England on NHS waiting lists for pre-planned care hit a record 6.1 million this year. Before coronavirus hit the UK, the number of people waiting for planned treatment was already at 4.2 million. Press Association figures show a patient in England has waited almost six years for hospital care and dozens have...

The UK government’s plans to send refugees to Rwanda have been described as a ‘human rights calamity’ by Amnesty International . On Thursday Boris Johnson set out the plan to send some of the migrants who cross the channel into the UK, more than 4,000 miles away to the African continent. It’s been met with a huge backlash from opposition MPs, public figures, and human rights organisations. Steve V...

Canary Wharf is set to be transformed into a new attractive destination , with new waterways for paddle boarding, floating pontoons, public parks and a huge boost to its greenery. They’re the plans put together by the Eden Project and the Canary Wharf Group, to improve the area’s offering to locals and visitors, but also increase the biodiversity of the area. The Eden Project hopes to demonstrate...

Downing Street has confirmed Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak will be fined for breaking Covid restrictions. No10 said the Prime Minister and Chancellor were among those set to be handed fixed penalty notices over the partygate scandal. It has led to fresh calls for the Prime Minister to resign, including from opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer . The Evening Standard’s Political Editor Nicholas Cecil...

A new poll by the National Education Union has found almost half of teachers in England plan to quit their job in the next five years . A fifth of the 1,788 teachers surveyed said they would leave within two years. The NEU said heavy workload was a ‘significant factor’ in their decision to leave, as well as concerns about the level of trust in teachers from the public and Government, pay, and acco...

This is an Invitation to Meet Anna Chokina, CEO of Cellular Goods. They’re a cannabinoid wellness start-up, trying to make headway in an emerging market, where competition is already fierce and getting stronger all the time. They’re offering CBD and CBG products from health supplements to skin care, but how do you persuade customers to try something new? It’s a problem Anna’s had to overcome befor...

Dame Cressida Dick officially leaves her post as Met Commissioner this Sunday and the Evening Standard can exclusively reveal that in an explosive ‘letter to London’, she slams the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. Accusing him of damaging the entire justice system by the “politicisation of policing”. Our Crime Correspondent, Anthony France, who broke the story, discusses what we know about the complicate...

A piece of Earth’s history has just been found. Scientists have discovered a fossil of a perfectly preserved dinosaur leg that may have been ‘ripped off’ by the asteroid that sparked a mass extinction. It was unearthed at a site in Tanis, North Dakota, 3,000km away from the asteroid impact site in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s one of a number of impressive finds from the location.  Professor Paul...

There’s another blow in the cost of living crisis. From today the National Insurance increase comes into effect. It means that workers, businesses and the self-employed will now pay an extra 1.25p in the pound.  The Evening Standard’s Consumer Business Editor, Jonathan Prynn, explains what this all means for Londoners who are already feeling the pinch.  Today we talk about: The changes c...

No-fault divorce is being introduced in England and Wales tomorrow (Wednesday 6th April 2022). It’s the biggest divorce reform in 50 years and means that partners wishing to split no longer have to assign blame or wait anything from two to five years to start the legal process. We hear from Nigel Shepherd, the former chair of Resolution who led their campaign to bring in no-fault divorce. He’s als...

The great Easter getaway has started but it’s off to a bumpy start to say the least. EasyJet and BA have cancelled hundreds of flights because of staff shortages. Elsewhere, there’s disruption at Eurotunnel and ongoing issues with ferries at Dover too. Simon Calder, the Independent’s Travel Correspondent, explains all you need to know about the chaos.    Today we talk about: The problems...

The CEO of Huel, James McMaster, invites us to their HQ in Hertfordshire for a fascinating chat about how the meal replacement company has grown from a garage to international success. Listen to the full episode HERE . We talk about the astonishing speed of growth in 6 years, that’s taken the company to a revenue run rate of $100,000. How did they do that? And did anything go wrong on the way? Jam...

As a new series of DNA Journey launches on ITV next week, we have spoken with Brad Argent, Senior Director of International Programming at Ancestry about what to expect from the series. He discusses how the stories continue to get better, and how the technology behind the DNA research is improving. Also in this episode: How the DNA technology has moved on since 2019 (1.22) Celebrities "becoming so...

An online tool set up by the Met Police to help the public report places where they feel unsafe in the capital, has received more than 3,000 since it was set up . The force launched StreetSafe in September 2021, following the deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. Since then almost three quarters of the reports it has received have been from women. Most of them related to poor street lighting a...

Just under two weeks after the return to the UK of Iran detainees Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori , a man who was allegedly supposed to come home with them, is still in detention in Iran. Morad Tahbaz’s family said they were promised he’d fly back to the UK alongside Nazanin and Anoosheh, but his daughter Roxanne found out on the day he was due to return that he wasn’t on the flight...

The Met Police is issuing 20 fines to individuals who broke lockdown rules at Downing Street parties in 2020. As part of its investigation into twelve events held across government, the Met has said it will not reveal who the fines have been issued to, or which specific alleged event they relate to. Downing Street has pledged to reveal if the prime minister is among those fined, but said it wouldn...

Less than a week after making his Spring Statement , the Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been defending his financial decisions today at a meeting of the Treasury Committee. He’s been questioned about the support available for people receiving benefits, after announcing a series of measures which will largely benefit those in work. But, as the energy price cap rises by around 54% from April 1st, inflat...

Is it possible to create a multi-million pound business without losing your ideals; even the ones you’ve held since childhood? This is An Invitation to Meet... Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of sharing app Olio. Originally a way for communities to share unwanted food, it’s now expanded to include much more. Listen to the full episode HERE. Saasha tells us about the negotiations to raise $43 mill...