The Standard

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  Sleep loss, silence, and appearing withdrawn or sad are just some of the manifestations of the mental strain that has been placed upon some, while teachers say that others had not even picked up a pen or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...

Shops are reopening across Britain but with a new look. Hand sanitizing stations have been installed, caps on the amount of people allowed through the doors have been imposed. During lockdown, the Office for National Statistics shows non-food shops have been losing £1.7 billion a week and now they’re trying to draw customers back in. But how will they innovate to survive post-pandemic? T...

Britain’s crippled lockdown economy smashed all records in April when the nation’s output plummeted by more than a fifth. The remarkable 20.4 per cent dive in GDP — even deeper than most City forecasts — came in the month when Boris Johnson’s strict “stay at home” order was in force for all 30 days. But our consumer business editor Jonathan Prynn tells us there is some hope for a recovery as...

After months of pleading from restaurants, bars, theatres and cinemas, the government could be about to reduce the two metre social distancing rule. Communities minister Simon Clarke's been giving interviews suggesting it's under review. Some other countries have set the distance to as little as one metre, so why can't the UK? Restaurateur Jack Stein, son of celebrity chef Rick Stein, tells us how...

Coronavirus has never been so prevalent. Although cases are dropping in Europe, they're soaring in both north and South America, while Africa is struggling to control the infection. Data suggests the peak of the global pandemic is still to come. Among those battling Covid-19 across borders is Save the Children . Their executive director of global programmes Gwen Hines tells us about the challenges...

The government's announced all primary school children in England will not be sent back to classes before the summer break. It follows a backlash from teachers and unions who warned it would be impossible due capacity issues, staff shortages and social distancing requirements. In this episode of the Leader Podcast we look at an alternative to using classrooms for pupils with the launch of a new fo...

New Zealand is declaring itself covid-19 free and lifting almost all of its lockdown restrictions . It follows the recovery of a woman in her 50s who was the last known person in the country to have the infection. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admits she "had a little dance" when told the virus appeared to have cleared, 101 days after the first case was reported. We speak the New Zealand Herald po...