The Standard

After weeks of uncertainty students have been told they can go home for Christmas if they want, although they might have to self-isolate before leaving. The education secretary Gavin Williamson's announcement has eased the anxiety of thousands who feared being stuck in halls of residence during the festive season. But our deputy political editor, Nicholas Cecil, says it leaves the government...

Ministers are not ruling out a new social clampdown in London and parts of England, which could see a ban on households mixing indoors, as well as pubs, restaurants and clubs closing for at least two weeks. It follows stark rises in coronavirus cases, including inside the Prime Minister' own constituency. Our associate editor Julian Glover says anxiety's raising across the country, and the go...

Urgent questions are being asked after a custody sergeant was shot dead by a suspect in a police station in Croydon. An investigation's underway into how the man, believed to have been arrested on suspicion of possessing ammunition, was apparently able to take a gun inside, and whether the weapon was missed in a search. The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, says an inquiry's underway, while Met Commiss...

Rishi Sunak's urging the country to “live without fear” after unveiling a new part-time Jobs Support Scheme and other measures designed to prop up the economy until a coronavirus vaccine is ready. The Chancellor's announced a multi-billion pound package of help to replace the costly furlough scheme, allowing millions to go part time while keeping around four-fifths or more of their earnings. But t...

Are divisions in the cabinet the cause of muddled messaging and seemingly contradictory guidelines being issued by the government on coronavirus? Senior editor of the Economist, Anne McElvoy joins us to explain what she calls the "Hawks and Doves" battling over whether to prioritise the economy or health as the country endures further, ever more complex, restrictions. She says Boris Johnson is try...

Boris Johnson has revealed a swathe of new coronavirus restrictions , as the country tries to fend of the infection's apparent revival. There are curfews on bars, strict new face mask policies, even the halving of the number of guests you can invite to a wedding. Guidance on returning to the office has been reversed, with the government now urging people to stay at home if they can. The Prime Mini...

The UK’s top health officials have warned that if the rate of coronavirus infections continues unabated, we could hit 50,000 per day by mid October . By mid-November, they say that could mean Britain recording 200 deaths per day. As we’re warned of new restrictions to come, the Evening Standard’s associate editor Julian Glover asks: what can we learn from last time around? And, Prime Minister Bori...

Heath Secretary Matt Hancock has put the country on notice for a national social lockdown, saying: “I fear more people will die.” But our political editor Joe Murphy says restrictions this time could be a lot different than before, with an emphasis on keeping friends apart. He also tells us about the crunch Downing Street meetings this week, where scientists called for the Prime Minister to f...

The full scale of the Covid testing crisis in London has been exposed by an Evening Standard investigation which found appointments were not available to book online. Our reporter Rachael Burford tried to arrange walk-in or drive-in slots in each of the 32 boroughs yesterday but every time received the message: “No test sites found.” Rachael tells the podcast how she also spoke...

Ministers are under pressure to rethink the system of “outsourcing” for processing coronavirus tests as spare capacity in NHS laboratories goes unused. The chaos facing people trying to get Covid checks is understood to be a consequence of log-jams in the Lighthouse Laboratories set up by the Government at arms-length from the NHS to process swabs from drive-through and walk-in testing c...

With universities returning, joining the school pupils already back at classes, and the increasing numbers of those going to the office, the UK’s track and trace system is under strain.  One expert’s told the Evening Standard it's nowhere near the 70-80% coverage the system needs to be effective and it's only going to get worse as winter arrives. Our deputy political editor, Nicholas Cecil, s...

At the start of lockdown we stood with our neighbours and applauded key workers in the NHS. Now we are being told to report the people next door to the police. Policing minister Kit Malthouse says people should "absolutely" call police if there's a large social gathering in their street. Has the government created a snooper's charter with its new laws? Our court correspondent Tristan Kirk say...

Boris Johnson's facing two significant revolts from within his own ranks over coronavirus and Brexit. Some backbenchers want under-12s exempt from the new 'rule of six' regulations on social gatherings. But our political editor, Joe Murphy, says it's the second rebellion that's causing the most problems for the PM: Major figures in the Tory party, like Lord Howard and Ther...

Boris Johnson's "moonshoot project" would see billions of pounds spent on testing kits that can deliver results that day, but his optimism has been met with scepticism and some scientists say the tech doesn't exist. Columnist Ayesha Hazarika tells us she thinks the scheme sounds like a fantasy, and what people really want are the hard facts. A former government advisor herself, she says Downing St...

After the Evening Standard revealed the government's bringing in restrictions to limit social gatherings to six , it's now reported pubs may have a 10pm curfew . Meanwhile, the foreign travel quarantine rules, which vary across the United Kingdom, are still confusing passengers and putting people off holidays. Our associate editor Julian Glover says the situation has got too complicated for everyo...

Boris Johnson's warning against “complacency” about Covid-19 among young people as he prepares the ground for a major crackdown on people holding parties in defiance of social distancing . The Standard understands that minsters are deeply concerned about gatherings held by young people, particularly as students head back to university in coming weeks. Our political editor, Joe Murph...

Matt Hancock's dramatically raising hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine within months . The Health Secretary says it's “looking up” that a drug being developed by experts at the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca would be granted approval for use soon after trials in several countries, including the UK, US and Brazil. But the Evening Standard's deputy political editor Nicholas...

The Evening Standard's learned millions of people could get free rides into London under bold plans to fight the slump caused by coronavirus. Free tickets for trains, buses and the Tube are being discussed as a radical way of getting the public to see for themselves that it is safe to go back to offices and to enjoy shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. The story was broken by our politi...

Matt Hancock's defended Tony Abbott as “an expert in trade” after being quizzed over allegations that the former Australian Prime Minister is a "homophobic misogynist". But others in the Conservative party and beyond are questioning why Mr Abbot's being tipped for an advisory role to help secure post-Brexit deals around the world. Our political reporter Sophia Sleigh says the potential a...

How can Londoners be expected to get on public transport when political leaders aren't being seen doing it themselves? The government's repeatedly called for people to go back to work, but commuter numbers on trains and busses don't seem to be rising. Meanwhile, car use does appear to be on the up. We speak to the Evening Standard's Sam Fishwick, who interviewed recently appointed TFL chief Andy B...

Thousands of school children are returning to classrooms, but huge numbers of adults are still working from home . How do we get those people to return to a city centre that's at risk of dying? We speak to the Evening Standard's associate editor Julian Glover about the newspaper's call for Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan to show more leadership for the capital's 9 million residents. He says many...

Grant Shapps says it is “safe” for the public to return to work and he stands ready to put on extra trains as people head back to offices and workplaces. The Transport Secretary's been doing interviews saying getting back to the camaraderie of office life is vital to the mental health of some people. But are company bosses being creative enough in ways of encouraging staff to return to t...

Health Secretary  Matt Hancock 's under fire after admitting he has “absolutely no idea” how many of his own staff are working from home or coming into the office. In an interview with Times Radio he suggested it doesn't matter if civil servants work from home and stay away from central  London , saying: “What I care about is how effectively people work.” Evening Standard political...

After this year's exams mess, a group of headteachers is c alling for next year's A-levels and GCSEs to be postponed by up to six weeks. They say pupils due to take them in June have already had their lessons disrupted by coronavirus, and it's only fair to allow more classroom time to help them make up for it. Some, though, are concerned it will lead to a rush to grade exams, with a knock-on effec...

The government is under growing pressure to u-turn on guidance for face mask wearing in schools in England. A large number of headteachers are ignoring official advice and telling students and staff they must have them in crowded spaces like corridors. Scotland's First Minister's also ruled secondary schools there must use masks from Monday. Will Westminster follow, just as it did with the exam re...