The Standard

Travel to France is back again. The country has announced it will lift its ban on UK holidaymakers from tomorrow. It means an end to controversial restrictions brought in last month for British travellers to curb the rapid spread of Omicron. These included; having ‘a compelling reason’ to enter the country and a requirement to isolate on arrival. It all sounds like good news but it’s not actually...

London could be about to face a different health crisis - congestion.  The city’s Mayor has issued a warning that the capital could soon be overrun by filthy air and gridlock because of a shift towards driving as transport during the pandemic. However, with the ongoing TfL funding crisis and fare increases on the horizon, Sadiq Khan has a big job on his hands if he wants to convince people to...

New findings from Imperial College London could help future-proof covid vaccines. The study found that high levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses could provide protection against covid - which could give a blue print when it comes to creating new jabs to target the virus.  Dr Rhia Kundu is the study author from Imperial College London. She explains the findings and how Londoners pl...

New hope for thousands of people impacted by the ongoing cladding crisis. The Housing Minister, Michael Gove, says developers must agree to a £4 billion plan to fix dangerous cladding on low-rise flats by early March or risk new laws forcing them to act. The Evening Standard’s political reporter Rachael Burford explains what exactly the plans mean, how they could help and what happens ne...

You’ve already been hit with the highest inflation rate in 10 years - and there’s more financial heartache in store for Londoners... The capital and South East are set to bear the brunt of National Insurance increases, and your household bills are forecast to spiral by hundreds of pounds. How do we get this under control, and can anything be learned from history? David Bond, the Evening Standard’s...

If you’re still nursing the post-New Year blues or hope to cut down your drinking a bit for ‘22, London’s first alcohol-free off-licence has opened as a pop-up in the West End. The shop is run by former Islington Liberal Democrat councillor Laura Willoughby, who founded her Club Soda startup to help people with “mindful drinking”, spurred by an energy boost after giving up alcohol herself a decade...

David Bowie has posthumously earned his estate what’s reported to be about £185 million ($250 million), and the Starman joins the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner among artists selling the rights to their back catalogues for hundreds of millions. But why, how does it work, and is there anything in all this for younger artists? The Evening Standard’s City Editor, Oscar Williams-Grut, diss...

Commuter rail routes groaned back into the service today, but suffered cancellations and Covid-linked train staff shortages. Prepare yourself for hefty fare increases in 2022...but could Crossrail, AKA the Elizabeth Line, finally open? The Standard’s City Hall Editor Ross Lydall examines the year’s public transport issues ahead. Mainline fare increases of 3.8 per cent are incoming, while Tube pass...

We’ve covered the covid-19 pandemic in the UK a lot this year, but we’ve also looked at how the virus is affecting other countries. In this edition of the Leader, first published on July 30th, we met with a Malawi musician, Maggie Mkandawire, who became a hero in her home country for her efforts to tackle the bug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our look back at the year, this special episode of the Leader commemorating the death of Prince Philip was published on April 9th. It features the Evening Standard’s Royal Editor Robert Jobson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re looking back at some of our favourite interviews of 2021. Just over one year since lockdown began, the Leader sat down with o2 business boss Jo Bertram to hear how companies were coping. This interview is from March.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our series of looking back at some of our favourite episodes, here’s the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa talking to Professor Green about mental health, food banks and ‘tone deaf’ influencers in Dubai. Stephen Manderson, aka Professor Green, is a big advocate for opening up the conversation around mental health, having presented documentaries on everything from suicide to child poverty...

Over the Christmas break, we’re looking back at some of the big events of 2021. The year started with the inauguration of President Joe Biden - an event that arguably became better known more for the break-out performance of poet Amanda Gorman. On the 21st of January we spoke to Barack Obama’s former speechwriter Cody Keenan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As another year largely dominated by the pandemic draws to a close, we take a look back at some of the highlights of the year from the world of art and culture. The Evening Standard’s Arts Editor Nancy Durrant takes us back through some of the things that have helped us through the past twelve months, and proved to us that not even a pandemic can stop our arts and culture flourishing. Nancy review...

There are some positive signs that the rise in cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is slowing in London. For the sixth day in a row, cases have been between 20,491, and 26,608, with the lowest of those numbers recorded on Tuesday. But the number of coronavirus patients in the city’s hospitals has jumped by 830, or 77 per cent, since the start of the month to over 1,900. The Evening Standard’s Po...

As the number of people in the UK prescribed antidepressants continues to rise, a review of the drugs has led to brand new guidance for the doctors who prescribe them. University College London and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust have worked together on the review, looking into the role of antidepressants and how to help patients stop using them. They have recommended that doctors should pr...

From today, a new treatment for vulnerable patients at greater risk of Covid-19 is being offered at London hospitals. The drug, called Sotrovimab, has been manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, which says it appears to work against the Omicron variant, and can cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by almost 80 per cent. Medicine Development Lead for the drug Dr Amanda Peppercorn explains how the dru...

The classic musical Cabaret has returned to the London stage starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. The hit musical, famously made into a film starring Liza Minnelli as the cabaret singer Sally, was inspired by the novels of English writer Christopher Isherwood based on his own experiences in the German capital as the Nazis rose to power. Redmayne plays The Emcee alongside Jessie Buckley as Sally B...

School days…spare a thought for 21st Century teenagers thrown into the lion’s den of social media, often poorly prepped to deal with bullies, trolls and the dreaded cancel culture. Until now - because Sutton High School in London is piloting debate classes for girls from 11 years old that focus on internet culture, to help them confidently express their opinions and encourage discussion. And it al...

Boris Johnson has just faced his biggest Tory rebellion since becoming Prime Minister. A total of 99 Conservative MPs opposed Johnson’s plan to introduce Covid passes but the move passed due to support from the Labour Party. Tory rebels spoke publicly today saying Johnson needs ‘to change’ but how much will this have shaken the PM? The Evening Standard’s Deputy Political Editor, David Bond, e...

As the race to get a Covid-19 booster jab continues and long queues form outside vaccination centres, how realistic is the government’s target to get everyone triple vaccinated by the end of the year? In London, already more than half of all coronavirus cases are of the Omicron variant, and the number of coronavirus patients in the capital’s hospitals is at its highest level since March. And in Sc...

The UK Government says it’s ‘throwing everything’ at beating Omicron as it brings forward the target date for all adult booster jabs to be delivered by the end of December. It comes as the first UK death has been recorded with the variant.  But with huge queues outside vaccination centres and many reporting issues with the online booking system, will the new target be achievable? Nicholas Cec...

What is the key to Succession’s success?   The hit US TV comedy-drama - with a heavy British influence - follows the incredibly powerful Roy family and the inner workings of their company Waystar RoyCo. The family fight amongst themselves over who will take over the global media and entertainment conglomerate after their father, Logan Roy.  It’s won countless awards and an adoring g...

As the drama continues around alleged Christmas parties at Downing Street last year, an NHS doctor is warning public trust in the government is waning. The Conservative Party has now admitted an event took place in the party’s Westminster headquarters on December 14th last year. An investigation continues into allegations that the party held more events last year, when covid rules at the time stat...

It’s been a tough day at the office for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as he faced a fiery PMQs largely focused on claims of a Christmas Party at Number 10 last year, when such gatherings had been banned under pandemic restrictions. One of Boris Johnson’s advisors at the heart of the scandal, Allegra Stratton has resigned and offered her “profound apologies”, after footage emerged of her joking abo...