The Standard

Offering a glimmer of hope in the fight against coronavirus, the UK has secured 90 million ‘promising’ Covid-19 vaccine doses being developed globally. That’s on top of 100 million doses of a vaccine developed by Oxford University, that today announced its phase 2 trials had been successful. The Evening Standard’s Nicolas Cecil says now we need an army of 500,000 to put their hand up for further t...

Boris Johnson's told the UK he hopes the country will return to "normality" by Christmas . But the Prime Minister's also admitting it's a "hope" and he has to prepare for the worst. Mr Johnson's been outlining the further lifting of restrictions, including allowing theatres to stage indoor performances with live audiences. He also revealed draconian new laws that will allow ministers to impose sta...

Almost a third of London commuters who are working from home say they do not expect to return to their offices before Christmas, according to poll findings seen by the Evening Standard. The results suggest that the struggling central London economy faces a huge challenge for the rest of the year and beyond, with tens of thousands fewer workers spending their wages in shops, cafés, restaurants...

Wildlife experts have alerted the Evening Standard that  a global conservation “crisis ” is unfolding as the disruption caused by Covid-19 causes a surge in the poaching of species for the illegal wildlife trade. India, Nepal, Pakistan and several African countries have all reported a poaching spike. A number of wildlife protection programmes have been curtailed due to the abrupt ha...

On the day the government announced it's introducing mandatory face masks in shops, Michael Gove's been seen walking into a coffee shop without one. Meanwhile, his cabinet colleague Liz Truss had one on when she went into the same place. Is the message getting muddled already? And why is the law not going to come in effect for another 10 days? We get answers from the Evening Standard's deputy...

Central London is facing the biggest economic crisis in generations with tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses at risk of being wiped out in Britain’s most vibrant economic powerhouse. An Evening Standard investigation has unearthed the true scale of the problem, revealing predictions that 50,000 jobs in the vulnerable retail, tourism and hospitality sectors could disappea...

The Evening Standard's revealed how thousands of Londoners are missing urgent checks for cancer as the full impact of the coronavirus lockdown emerges. Those seeking a two-week hospital referral from their GP fell by almost 18,000 in May — 53 per cent lower than the same month last year, and worse than the rest of the country. The number of Londoners starting life-saving or life-extendin...

The government's announced that gyms and swimming pools will reopen within weeks, but office blocks around the country remain empty as the coronavirus lockdown limps on. It follows the Chancellor unveiling a discount meal scheme, and help for homebuyers. Our associate editor Julian Glover asks if ministers are doing what's popular instead of making the hard decisions that will restart an economy l...

Rishi Sunak's given everyone in Britain a discount voucher for half price meals at restaurants, pubs and cafes during August in an unprecedented move to boost the battered economy.  He's also slashed VAT from 20 per cent to just five per cent on leisure and nights out and cut Stamp Duty. We ask city journalist Mark Shapland and Prudence Ivey from the Evening Standard's Homes and Property...

Boris Johnson has been blasted for an "absolute travesty of leadership" after saying that "too many" care homes did not properly follow procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. Care providers have branded his comments as "cowardly" while the head of the National Care Forum said they were "frankly hugely insulting". But Downing Street's neither apologising nor backing down. Instead, our pol...

Headteachers have been telling the Evening Standard how the coronavirus lockdown is having a "severe impact" on the country's children .  Sleep loss, silence, and appearing withdrawn or sad are just some of the manifestations of the mental strain that has been placed upon some, while teachers say that others had not even picked up a pen or book since their schools were shut. Our edu...

London is set to reopen but London mayor Sadiq Khan warns this isn’t a time to celebrate. He tells The Leader podcast that while Londoners should go out and enjoy the city on Saturday, it's crucial to remember that the threat of Covid-19 is still very real and social distancing must be respected. What will happen if we don’t? We also speak to Professor Karol Sikora who tells us exactly what the co...

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard’s new editor, Emily Sheffield, Boris Johnson warned Britain: the furlough scheme cannot go on. He said an extension to the scheme, which is keeping 9.3 million people in ‘suspended animation’, wouldn’t be healthy for the economy - or for us. But Ms. Sheffield tells The Leader podcast the PM revealed there’s more big spending to come as the countr...

If a Leicester-style Covid-19 outbreak hits London, town halls are warning they need more information on how they could enforce a local lockdown. Mayor Sadiq Khan says London isn’t ready for a second surge, and if one hits, more people could lose their lives. The Evening Standard’s Nicholas Cecil has pieced together what plans are in place to stop a surge spiralling out of control, but tells us pu...

Leicester became the UK’s first city to experience a local lockdown just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his ‘New Deal’ plan to soften the blow to Britain’s economy post-pandemic. What does a new surge in coronavirus cases mean for the heath of the Midlands city’s businesses? We spoke to local hair salon owner Barrie Stephen who says after weeks of intense preparation and thousands...

The city of Leicester is facing two more weeks of lockdown as the rest of England prepares to head to the pub this weekend. Boris Johnson says this is part of the government’s new ‘whack-a-mole’ approach to deal with local flare ups of coronavirus. But if London’s hit, what would a lockdown look like? The Institute for Government’s Alex Thomas tells us it's complicated.  And, Sir Mark Sedwill...

More than 140 police officers have been injured in the last three weeks trying to break up massive illegal street parties across London. They're struggling to control the crowds of hundreds gathering in places like Brixton, Streatham and Notting Hill to party until the early hours of the morning. Met Commissioner Cressida Dick's warning people to "cool it," but Evening Standard journalist Joh...

A trove of documents, emails and text messages that was supposed to clear Robert Jenrick of allegations he did billionaire Richard Desmond a favour over a planning decision has done anything but. Questions are being raised about the Housing Secretary’s relationship with the businessman, who was complaining about “Marxists” plotting against his plans to build 1,500 homes at Westferry in East London...

After the big announcement, the government’s now delivering the details on how lockdown will be eased on July 4th. Guidance has been dispatched to businesses affected , including things like telling pubs to warn customers police can be called if they’re not socially distancing. But as the advice was being delivered, some of the country's top health bosses released a letter warn...

MPs were so excited to hear Boris Johnson say pubs will re-open, they shouted "Hallelujah" in the Commons. Museums and art galleries have the green light too. But after more than three months in lockdown, how many will be ready to welcome people by July 4th, and how many people will actually go? The Evening Standard's Lizzie Edmonds says many of London's top tourist attractions are...

Home Secretary Priti Patel's visited the Reading park where three people were killed and three more injured in what's being investigated as a terror attack at the weekend. 25-year-old Khairi Saadallah, a Libyan refugee, is in custody. It's reported he was known to MI5, but the Evening Standard's Home Affairs editor Martin Bentham says coronavirus lockdown restrictions have made it harder to i...

The last big hurdle to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to switch to step two of the UK’s roadmap to recovery has cleared with the coronavirus alert level dropping . It means pubs and restaurants will open next month and there’s even suggestions the two metre rule could be reduced to one metre. London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine researcher and Director at March for Change Dr Mike G...

The ‘force’s sweetheart’, Dame Vera Lynn, has died aged 103 . She became a symbol of hope and inspiration for those on the front line of World War Two, and again this year, when the Queen evoked the lyrics in her beloved song ‘we will meet again’ as she rallied the nation in the face of a global pandemic. The head of the Armed Forces charity SSAFA , Sir Andrew Gregory, tells us how Dame Vera’s cha...

Al-fresco dining is set to bring back the buzz to London’s famed West End. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will spill out onto the streets over the summer, reviving spending and lifting the city’s spirits. Soho Estate’s John James has led the charge to get the district back up and running, and says he’s delighted Westminster City has heard their calls.  And, football’s back after 100 days, but no...

Boris Johnson's made a hasty u-turn on providing free school meals this Summer after a campaign by Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford sounded the death knell for the policy. Now, 1.3 million children will have access to meal vouchers over the school holidays, something the Government has never provided before. The Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy tells us how Rashford struck a chord...