The Standard

UK Health organisations have stepped up precautions over the outbreak of the new pneumonia-like Coronavirus . The World Health Organisation are likely to declare the disease a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Heathrow airport will screen travellers from the Chinese region of the outbreak as they arrive. The Leader podcast speaks to the Evening Standard’s City Hall editor Ross...

Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg attended the Davos summit where the climate was top of the agenda. This is the first event they have both spoken at since last year’s UN climate change summit. From the Evening Standard’s Westminster office, Deputy Political editor Nicholas Cecil joins The Leader podcast to dissect the speeches. Trump misses first day of impeachment trial: As the President of the Un...

Prince Harry has made his first public account for his and Meghan’s decision to step down as a senior Royal, in a speech to African leaders in London last night.  The Evening Standard’s Inside Editor Lucy Pavia watched the speech and explains to The Leader podcast what it means. Sexual Abuse on public transport: A new survey has claimed that more than half of women have been harassed on...

Premier League star Mamadou Sahko is the latest celebrity to have his home raided, in a £500,000 heist. Following the burglary of TV chef Markus Wareing’s home by ‘burglary tourists’ from Chile, police suspect similar tactics are being used again. The Evening Standard’s crime correspondent Anthony France joins the Leader podcast to discuss the criminals’ tactics and offer advice on how to avoid fa...

Today it has been reported that Prince Andrew faces losing his round-the-clock security . A review by the Home Office is looking to downgrade his protection if he is no longer performing public duties.    Prince Andrew was essentially made to quit royal duties in November following his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Since then he has continued to use his r...

There were 149 murders in London last year, the highest figure in 11 years. The Conservatives say “crime is clearly the Mayor’s biggest failing” and claim figures show that Sadiq Khan, the police and the crime commissioner for London have failed to give the Met the support it needs. Greg Hands – former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and current MP for Chelsea and Fulham - has recently been a...

Boris Johnson is calling for the nuclear pact with Iran to be replaced with a new “Trump deal”. In an interview with the BBC, he says it’s time to “dial down” tension in the Middle East, after the US assassination of Iranian general Quasem Soleimani. The Evening Standard’s deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil’s covering the story and joins The Leader podcast.   Harry and Meghan’s possible f...

Rory Stewart writes in today’s Evening Standard that he ‘guarantees’ to reduce knife crime deaths in London if elected mayor – and has volunteered to resign if he fails. The Leader podcast speaks exclusively with the London Mayoral candidate to grill him on his claims.  The Sandringham Summit: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced a crunch summit today with the Queen, the Prince of Wales, The...

International pressure is bearing down on Iran, who are accused of shooting down the Boeing 737 Ukrainian Airlines plane that crashed minutes after take-off from Imam Kohmeini airport in Tehran. Several of the Western nations’ intelligence services believe that Iran may have accidently shot the plane down . Iran has invited manufacture Boeing to investigate the crash of the Ukrainian Airlines plan...

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent shockwaves around the world when they announced their desire to step back from ‘senior’ roles in the royal family . It has since emerged that Prince Harry defied both the Queen and Prince Charles in releasing the statement when he did. The move is dramatic, unprecedented, and controversially-timed with the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday. Was it the right thing...

Iran has launched rocket attacks on two Iraqi bases housing US troops. The missile strikes came in retaliation to the US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Iran’s supreme leader has said the missile attack was “not enough” . As tensions continue to rise between the two nations, The Leader podcast speaks to the Evening Standard’s Defence editor Robert Fox.   £1 million...

A British teenager has been sentenced to a four month suspended jail sentence accused of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus. Judge Michalis Papathanasiou told her he was giving her a "second chance". The teenager has maintained that she was raped and said she was forced to change her account under pressure from Cypriot police.​ The Leader podcast spoke to courts correspondent Tristan Kirk on w...

As thousands gathered in Iran for the funeral of General Qasem Soleimani, The Leader podcast speaks to the former chair of the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugenhadt, and ask if there’s a way out of the crisis without conflict. UK drug crime and knife violence: Over last six months, The Evening Standard has been examining the damage caused by permanently excluding pupils from school . Our r...

Iran have vowed to respond with ‘harsh revenge’ after United States forces killed Iran’s most powerful military leader, General Qasem Soleimani, in the early hours of Friday morning. Leaders around the world have weighed in on the attack, with Joe Biden comparing President Donald Trump’s attack order to ‘dynamite in a tinder box’. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged “all sides to de-escalate”....

It’s a bleak start to the year for London’s commuters travelling in on South Western Rail networks as more delays are to continue due to lack of staff . The guards who took part in the 27-day strike have been off duty for so long that they need to retrain for safety requirements. This put hundreds of trains out of action on Thursday and delays will continue into Friday. The Evening Standard’s...

After a ground-breaking investigation by the Evening Standard into the UK’s painkiller use, drug companies will now publish addiction warnings on opioid packets . The Leader speaks to the paper’s Investigations Editor David Cohen about how this small change will save lives for decades to come. Also, we welcome Andrew Bailey as the next Governor of the Bank of England. Our Business News Editor, Ale...

The Queen has delivered her speech , can Boris Johnson now deliver on his promises? Our political editor Joe Murphy looks at the government’s agenda. Brexit is the predictable priority, but why is there an overhaul of espionage laws, and what happened between the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn ? Also, there’s been a dip in the number of people using public transport i n London, but car use has g...

There have been 135 violent deaths in London since the start of 2019. That's a high not seen for eleven years. The city is in the grip of knife crime epidemic that authorities appear powerless to stop. The Evening Standard’s crime correspondent Anthony France talks to the Leader podcast about what efforts have been made, and what more can be done.    Also, the 45th Pr...

Who can beat Boris Johnson? It’s the question the Labour party has to answer, but will it make the hard decisions the Evening Standard thinks are necessary to make it a genuine competitor in a future election? Our Londoner Editor Ayesha Hazarika, once a Labour spin doctor herself, thinks Jeremy Corbyn’s leaving behind a mess that could take a decade or more to repair.   Also, with traditional...

The BBC is under fire again, with the government apparently boycotting the Radio 4 Today programme, and critics accusing it of bias. The Evening Standard’s reporting BBC bosses are planning a big expansion of broadcasts outside of London to show the broadcaster’s listening to the whole of Britain, but with attacks also being lobbed at the license fee, is this now the time for a much wider modernis...

In today’s election special we bring you the latest from our newsroom, analyse the results and discuss the Prime Minister’s next steps after winning a massive Commons majority. Boris Johnson has led the Conservatives to victory , crushing Labour , breaking the ‘red wall’ and securing his position as Prime Minister. The Conservatives now have the largest majority of any government in the last...

An convicted murderer named John Crilly challenged the London Bridge terror attacker with a fire extinguisher despite knowing that Usman Khan was wearing what he believed was a live explosives vest. John Crilly told the BBC he was prepared to die to protect others and insists he is not a hero . The Leader podcast spoke to our Crime Correspondent Anthony France to discuss what John Crilly shows us...

In the Evening Standard’s editorial today the paper urges voters to support Boris Johnson’s Conservatives on Thursday.   George Osborne – himself a veteran of multiple elections as both senior politician and editor of the Evening Standard – joins The Leader podcast to discuss why the paper supports Mr. Johnson for Prime Minister.   In the podcast, George Osborne reveals who he will be vo...

Boris Johnson has written for the Evening Standard warning of “profound” economic damage if Jeremy Corbyn wins the election. But what about the Conservatives own plans? The Leader podcast ask the Evening Standard’s associate editor Julian Glover to take us through the Prime Minister’s proposals . A big accountancy firm called Grant Thornton has been hit with a fine of £650,000 over mistakes made i...

Boris Johnson is hitting Labour strongholds in the final days of this election. He says he’s taking nothing for granted despite a Survation poll showing him with a 14-point lead. In the Evening Standard, pollster Ben Page says a late swing from the Conservatives can’t be ruled out – and neither can a hung parliament. The Standard’s political editor, Joe Murphy, joins the Leader podcast from W...