The Standard

As coronavirus cases are on the rise again and the Omicron variant becomes more prevalent, some of the measures designed to slow the spread of the virus have been reintroduced. Wearing facemasks is mandatory again in shops and on public transport, and extra testing is required for those travelling to the UK from abroad. But, so far no major changes have been made in schools across England. The Eve...

London’s youth unemployment has soared by 55 per cent since the start of the pandemic, with 21 per cent of young people seeking work jobless. The Office for National Statistics says the figure is five times the national jobless rate of 4.3 per cent for all ages. In response, the Evening Standard, The Independent, and London Live have launched their Skill Up Step Up Campaign, to help young people i...

We get the scoop on Intellipedia, the internal Wiki developed at Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley. The Leader was granted the first British broadcast interview with one of the digital specialists instrumental in its creation. Carmen Medina rose from analyst to Deputy Director of Intelligence, working under six presidents from Carter to Obama during her 32-year tenure. Now retire...

The Duchess of Sussex has emerged victorious from her privacy battle with the Mail on Sunday despite last-minute bombshells from a former key aide. Meghan sued the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline over articles featuring extracts of the handwritten five-page note she sent to her father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018. The Standard’s Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk analyses today’s r...

It was meant to be a sunshine break and catch-up with family and friends in South Africa before welcoming their first child for 32 weeks pregnant Evening Standard Celebrity Correspondent Lizzie Edmonds and her husband Steven Meek. Then despite meticulous scheduling, the couple were caught up in a Covid travel nightmare as the UK government banned flights after Omicron’s emergence in the south of t...

Mouth-and-nose coverings are back on London’s tube and rail network, and in shops, with the threat of £200 fines for breaking the rules. Amid concerns about vaccine efficacy against Omicron, we get the latest from Evening Standard Health Editor Ross Lydall on masks, hospitalisations, and how Transport for London's finances are suffering. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our investigations editor, David Cohen, joins the podcast following his front-page probe into London’s astonishing youth unemployment problem. In a joint investigation with our sister site the Independent, he’s revealed the capital’s youth unemployment has soared by 55 per cent to 105,000 since the start of the pandemic. It’s the worst rate in the UK, and comes despite the government’s £2bn Kickst...

A 24-hour strike has caused travel chaos for London commuters wanting to travel on the Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly tube lines. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union have walked out in a dispute over new shift patterns and the disruption looks set to continue each weekend in the run-up to Christmas. It comes as Transport for London faces an ongoing financial...

Twenty-seven people heading for England have drowned near Calais after their boat sank. Three children and a pregnant woman are reported to be among those killed. It's the worst disaster on record involving migrants in the Channel. Now the political blame game is intensifying between France and the UK. Both have agreed to “do everything possible to stop the gangs responsible” but is this enou...

New analysis from the Evening Standard can reveal the London hotspots for unvaccinated adults - as well as the groups who are believed to be spreading the virus between generations. The fight against anti-vaxxers and vaccine hesitancy rolls on, amid growing concern that the vast majority of covid patients in intensive care haven’t been jabbed. It’s thought that up to 2.7 million Londoners - w...

Sorting through papers, losing his place and a random plug for Peppa Pig World - Boris’s keynote speech didn’t exactly go to plan at the CBI conference. Where did it all go wrong? How does Boris Johnson measure up to other world leaders when it comes to public speaking? And why are speeches so important?  We speak to Simon Lancaster from Bespoke. He’s an expert in speeches and has worked with...

One of the UK’s top medics has told the Evening Standard that the vaccine rate must be “supercharged”. Over the weekend, more than 50,000 covid jabs were administered in London - but 42,000 of those were boosters. It’s thought that up to 2.7 million people in the city are unvaccinated. The Evening Standard’s Political Editor, Nicholas Cecil, explains what this all means, if Plan A is sti...

As the world of cricket remains in shock from the racism allegations made by former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq this week, there are signs that action is being taken. A game-wide meeting was held on Friday to discuss how to stamp out racism in the sport. Azeem’s emotional speech to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee   about the racism he allegedly experienced at Yorksh...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has revealed London is facing a travel crisis. A £1.3 billion funding gap means bus services could be reduced by a fifth and tube services by almost 10% unless the Government steps in with an injection of funds. A report has detailed worse-than-expected impacts on the transport network from the pandemic, as Transport for London’s emergency funding deal ends next month. Ross...

Families across the UK are bracing for a tough winter ahead, as inflation has risen to 4.2%. Experts say it’s down to a series of price rises, including soaring energy bills, a price hike in petrol and an increase in the cost of eating out. Jack Leslie from the Resolution Foundation said the impact of the inflation rise will be 'painful' for families. On top of that, a rise in interest rates is ex...

For the next two weeks an unmarked HGV will travel around the M25 looking for distracted drivers.‘Operation Orbital’ is being run by Highways England and the police, to spot people using their phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, or being otherwise distracted while on the country’s busiest motorway. Police officers will film evidence of unsafe driving, by pulling up alongside vehicles, bef...

As unvaccinated residents in Austria are plunged into lockdown this week, we speak with two people living in the country about the new measures. The lockdown has been brought in as around 65% of the population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. The new rules mean anyone without a vaccine will have to stay indoors, except for work, school, exercise...

This Remembrance Sunday, the Queen is due to attend London’s Cenotaph to honour our service personal who have made the ultimate sacrifice. In 2021, it’s a century since the founding of the Royal British Legion and the first Poppy Appeal to help soldiers suffering life-changing injuries and PTSD from trench warfare. We meet Mike Kiff, a young veteran of modern combat and signals expert, who tells a...

The Leader’s joined by Colm Porter, Unison national officer representing 20,000 paramedics, ambulance technicians and emergency care assistants. He is urging government action to help free up ambulance crews battling Covid-fuelled backlogs and rocketing stress levels as casualty departments fill up. Now it’s being revealed some ambulance crews can spend their working day ‘stacked’ outside hospital...

After the Owen Paterson scandal, Tory sleaze claims are back in the headlines, particularly second jobs...but how damaging is it? And will voters care? MP Geoffrey Cox is facing calls to step down after his moonlighting as an almost £1,000-an-hour lawyer in the British Virgin Islands via his Commons office was revealed. And Andrew Bowie’s quit as Conservative vice-chairman in protest at the wake o...

The metaverse...it’s being sold to us as the next big thing in social media, using high-definition 3D online avatars to communicate with each other online. It’s boomed over the last year, with Big Tech wanting to draw consumers deeper into their worlds and Facebook rebranding as Meta. But with increasing concerns about the impact of compulsive social media use on our mental health, what are the ri...

Two passenger jets operated by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic took off in unison on the 3,500-mile route to New York’s JFK, 20 months after America’s entry ban for non-US passengers travelling from the UK as the pandemic took hold. How has the air travel experience changed, and can the government square its cheerleading of the aviation industry with Cop26 pledges to cut pollution? We speak to...

The Prime Minister is under pressure amid the fall out from the increasingly toxic Owen Paterson row. Senior Tories say Boris Johnson has been ‘weakened’ by the humiliating u-turn. Has this damaged his authority? The Evening Standard’s Political Editor Nicholas Cecil shares his insight on how we got here and where this all leaves the PM now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Is the end of coal in sight? It’s energy day at COP26 and the focus is on how the world can move away from fossil fuels. More than 40 countries have committed to moving away from coal but big users and producers like China, India, Australia and the US have not. The Evening Standard’s Deputy Political Editor, David Bond, walks us through the progress so far and the potential sticking points wi...

Cleo Smith, the missing four-year-old in Australia, has been found safe and well after disappearing 18 days ago from her family’s tent at a campsite. Police officials and the Australian Prime Minister have spoken about their joy and relief to have reunited the little girl with her family. John Dunne, Crime Reporter for the Evening Standard, walks us through this incredible story with a happy endin...