The Standard

If you’re a big supporter of Labour winning the Christmas election then buckle up as it really isn’t looking too good for them. According to a survey based on YouGov polling they are headed towards a huge defeat. Things might change if there is a late surge in voter registration but so far so it looks as though they are set to lose both Kensington in London, Dagenham and Rainham which have been a...

It has been up and down journey for Jo Swinson and the Lib Dems who are pushing hard for the party to win its first election. In the Evening Standard Michael Heseltine is giving his backing to two Lib-Dem candidates in the upcoming election and he doesn’t care if he gets thrown out of the Tories because of it. Last weekend Alistair Campbell was campaigning for the Lib-Dems too, as part his own “ta...

The UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has said that Jeremy Corbyn is unfit for high office over his handling of anti-Semitism in the Labour party. Rabbi Mirvis said that "The way in which the leadership has dealt with anti-Jewish racism is incompatible with the British values of which we are so proud - of dignity and respect for all people. It has left many decent Labour members both Jewish and non-...

In today’s podcast: This morning Transport for London stripped Uber of its licence to operate in London. The news will shock the 45,000 drivers, and the many users who rely on the service. However, TFL insists that Uber is not a fit and proper company to hold an operating licence . The Leader podcast spoke to The Evening Standard’s City Hall editor Ross Lydall on why Uber should keep its license....

The UN estimates 1.6 million refugees and displaced people in Syria will endure the cold in makeshift tents, without proper clothing. The UK government has agreed to bring a number of orphans to the United Kingdom . It’s a decision taken after months of consideration – The Standard says it’s the right one. The Leader Podcast spoke to the Evening Standard’s Home Affairs Editor Martin Bentham. 27 da...

Today’s ES Magazine features an exclusive interview with Jeremy Corbyn , by journalist Lynn Barber. The Leader podcast spoke with Lynn for her account of the interview and why she believes Jeremy Corbyn is not expecting to be Prime Minister on December 13th. It’s emerged that Prince Charles advised the Queen to effectively sack Prince Andrew in the wake of his disastrous Newsnight interview about...

Today the Evening Standard has launched its most ambitious campaign ever: a two-year commitment to tackle the homelessness epidemic in our city. In total some 170,000 people are now believed to be homeless in London. For the last six months we have worked with 23 of the capital’s frontline homeless charities to develop a strategy for how we can help address the homeless crisis in London. The...

In this election all major parties are talking about cutting down carbon . The Greens aim for net-zero by 2030, the Labour conference voted for the same, although its manifesto may have a later date. The Tories already have it in law for 2050, and the Lib-Dems think it can be done five years earlier. Associated editor Julian Glover explains why this is “the first climate change election” and...

The public reaction to Prince Andrew’s interview for the BBC’s Newsnight has been described as “catastrophic”. There’s been nothing from the Prince or the Palace since it was released on Saturday. But others are talking – t he Standard columnist Rohan Silva, a former government adviser, has written about a meeting with The Queen’s second son, in which he claims the N-word was used . That has been...

Labour have pledged to make broadband free for all by renationalising BT Openreach if they win the General Election. The idea has been labelled a “fantasy plan” by The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nicky Morgan. We spoke to the Evening Standard’s Consumer Business Editor Jonathan Prynn who explains why this plan would harm us all. London is home to eight wonderful Royal...

The Conservatives have dumped Theresa May’s 100,000 goal for net immigration . Home Secretary Priti Patel says the new plan will bring overall immigration down but give skilled workers preference under a points-based system and expert recommendations. Evening Standard associate editor Julian Glover joins The Leader podcast to explain why this is ‘impossible’. The RMT have announced anoth...

In today’s episode: Loyal, dependable and now… independent, thanks to having the Conservative whip removed after voting against the government – Tory bastion  David Gauke  has announced he’s running as an independent in his  previously safe Tory stronghold of South West Hertfordshire . The 2019 election campaign so far is the kind satirists live for. So today’s Leader podcast s...

Today the Office for National Statistics says GDP grew by 0.3 percent in the third quarter of the year. But that’s still the lowest since 2010 – and there are plenty of reasons for concern about what comes next . Our political editor Joe Murphy joins us to tell us more. Next month, RMT union members will hold strike action on South Western Railway services into Waterloo for 27 days. They says it’s...

Today Transport for London announced that Crossrail will not open until 2021. The line should have opened last December. TFL have admitted that the final cost of the project could be £18.5 billion. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has was said to be “deeply frustrated” We speak to Joanna Bourke from the business desk about  the many businesses banking on Crossrail that are understandably angry...

Sajid Javid’s turning on the money tap, but where is he getting the cash? Associate editor Julian Glover explains why the Chancellor’s plans announced on Thursday will mean higher taxes in the long-run. Londoner editor Ayesha Hazarika explores the options for disillusioned Labour voters. Deputy Leader Tom Watson has resigned and former Labour MP Ian Austin has said voters should choose Johnson ove...

The election campaigns have barely started and Boris Johnson is already having to deal with trouble in the conservatives . Our editorial explains, it’s a bad start for Boris. Political editor Joe Murphy joins The Leader podcast to discuss what we should expect next from our Prime Minister.   Also, retail giant Marks and Spencer’s is in crisis again, with profits plunging by 17 percent.&n...

Not enough people are registering to vote for the upcoming UK General Election, which means marginal seats could be swung. We sit down with our home affairs editor Martin Bentham to discuss the importance of voting on December 12th – and how to register well in advance.   School children are protesting against pollution in London by installing aeroplane-style breathing masks at their bus-stop...

As a new speaker is installed to the House of Commons , we sit down with Ayesha Hazarika to talk about the important role they could play in one of the most turbulent times in UK politics.   Mikhail Gorbachev is warning the world that he believes tensions between Russia and the West put u in “colossal danger” – why we think world leaders should listen   And we talk to our digital arts ed...

Sadiq Khan called for a rethink on cannabis laws and policing today, to cut violent street crime. This follows a report showing that 63 per cent of Londoners think the Class B drug should be legalised for recreational and medicinal use for adults. So with opinions changing, David Cohen our investigations editor tells us why this conversation is so important. A report by the coroner on th...

It’s the 31st of October and we haven’t left the EU. But Boris Johnson is not ‘dead in a ditch’. In fact despite Brexit delays the Conservative government are still far ahead in the General Election polls – a scary Halloween prospect for Jeremy Corbyn. Can the Labour Party make up enough ground before December the 12th to win? Our political editor Joe Murphy’s been going through the figures from t...

At the start of the year we predicted that we’d end 2019 by heading to the polls. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen on December 12th. A “culture war, already simmering here in the UK, could explode in this election” says today’s Leader . We speak to associate editor Julian Glover about what this election will really be about.  The Londoner editor Ayesha Hazarika talks about today’s Pr...

The report into the Grenfell Tower fire has taken two years to prepare, and will be published in full tomorrow. The report will be dominated by one key finding: The London Fire Brigade’s lack of preparation and poor advice cost lives .   Investigations Editor David Cohen has spent the last two years speaking with survivors and victims’ families, and speaks to The Leader about their reactions...

Has Boris Johnson done the right thing by trying to hold a December general election? In today’s episode assistant editor Julian Glover and Londoner editor Ayesha Hazarika sit down to explain what this means across parliament and the UK, as well as for those who have supported (in huge numbers) the People’s Vote Campaign – and who were only just marching and rallying a week ago.  Hosted on Ac...

Prince Charles has made a call in the Evening Standard for big businesses to put “trillions” of pounds into environmental projects, and we think he’s right. The Standard’s Jonathan Prynn breaks down what this really means.  The Ultra-Low Emission Zone – or ULEZ – charge is six months old. And one driver owes 13 thousand pounds – we’ve got more on that and five other things we’ve learned...

The death of 39 Chinese migrants found in the back of a lorry in Essex is a tragedy of massive proportions. And if the international community doesn’t act in response to our changing world, it may happen again. We ask Home Affairs editor Martin Bentham what must be done to avoid the loss of more innocent lives. The British Red Cross announced today that they will no longer be providing first-air c...