The Standard

UK inflation has risen more than expected to 3.8 per cent today, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. It’s the highest since January 2024 , and when Labour came to power last summer, inflation was just 2.2 per cent. We’re joined by Jaya Sood, a senior economist at the New Economics Foundation to discuss.  And in part two, The Standard’s Culture Writer India Block joins u...

The Treasury is considering a new tax on the sale of homes worth more than £500,000 as a step towards a radical overhaul of stamp duty and council tax - although no final decision has been made. With half of all home sales over £500,000 in London, it would have a disproportionate impact on the capital. The Standard’s Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford has the latest.  And in part t...

The Government is working “at pace” to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK for urgent medical treatment , Downing Street has said. We’re joined by Dr James Smith, a British emergency physician and expert in humanitarian studies based at University College London. He worked in Gaza for 2.5 months, and assisted with the medical transfer and evacuation of patients. And in part two, au...

Later today US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska for a highly anticipated summit on the Ukraine war. Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was "counting on America” and Trump has called the summit “high stakes”. The Standard’s Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford joins us to explain more.  And in part...

Today A-Level results have reached record highs since the Covid pandemic, with London students achieving the best grades in the country. However, experts say the gap between the best and worst performing regions appears to be widening, with the North-South divide becoming further entrenched. Efua Poku-Amanfo, a researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), joins us to discuss. &nb...

Today Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Donald Trump that "Putin is bluffing” as he discussed the obstacles to ending the war in Ukraine with the US President and other world leaders in a phone call . It comes ahead of this Friday's Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. Before the world leaders met, Dr Svitlana Romanko, the Ukrainian Executive Director of Razom We Stand, a climate campaign fight...

The capital is experiencing its fourth heatwave of the summer, with amber warnings in place for parts of England until Wednesday, as temperatures are expected to hit 34 degrees . But housing in the UK isn’t designed for such heat, and residents of tower blocks are at particular risk. Experts say that many new homes being built in the UK are not designed to withstand extreme summer temperatures. To...

London’s disgusting Wet Wipe Island is finally set to be removed from the Thames, with work under way to excavate the estimated 180 tonnes of congealed waste near Hammersmith Bridge. We hear from John Sullivan, Thames Water’s Head of Tideway Integration Group, and Emily Carr, policy adviser at the independent think tank and charity Green Alliance, about how to prevent more waste from accumulating...

Labour’s homelessness minister, Rushanara Ali, has resigned from government after it emerged she evicted four tenants from a property she owns - before re-letting it just weeks later and hiking the rent by £700 a month. The move would likely be prohibited under Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, which introduces new protections for tenants. When Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill comes into force, this act...

Millions of homeowners were handed a boost today when the Bank of England cut its interest rate from 4.25% to 4% . The reduction is the fifth over the past year, and brings borrowing costs down to their lowest since March 2023. Theo Harris, an economist at the New Economics Foundation joins us to discuss the news.  And in part two, Nick Curtis, The Standard’s Theatre Critic and co-host of The...

The Metropolitan Police plans to close half of its front desk to save money . In a list published overnight, Scotland Yard confirmed it will break its pledge to have one accessible 24 hours a day , in each of the 32 boroughs. It comes amid an epidemic of knife crime, mobile phone snatches, shoplifting and bike theft across the capital. The Standard's Crime Correspondent Anthony France reacts to th...

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron's migrant deal comes into force today , with detentions set to begin from tomorrow. The ‘one in, one out’ pilot scheme allows the UK to send some people who have crossed the Channel back to France, in exchange for asylum seekers with ties to Britain. Daniel Sohege, a specialist in international refugee law and protection, and the director of human rights organi...

The Met Police could be “tested to the limit” as hundreds have been urged to declare support for Palestine Action in central London this weekend . Protesters are being urged to turn up en masse to test whether the state can respond to such a big endorsement for the recently proscribed terror group, with organisers saying “there is safety in numbers”. Tim Crossland, a former government lawyer, who...

Today US President Donald Trump has slapped steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners around the world . At 10 per cent, the UK has been promised the lowest US tariff rate so far. But what does this all mean? Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now - an organisation that campaigns for a fairer global economy - is here to unpack the news.  And in part two The Standard’s Goi...

The Standard’s special report this week examines a worrying pattern of crime taking place in the capital. Shops across London are repeatedly having their windows smashed - yet nothing is stolen. Is it just broken glass, or a shattering conspiracy? The Standard’s Claudia Cockerell has the latest.  And in part two, if you’re still craving a summer holiday , freelance travel writer Alicia Miller...

Knife crime has soared by 86% in London in a decade, according to a report from the Policy Exchange think tank . Just 20 streets around Oxford Circus and Regent Street accounted for one in every 15 knife attacks across the capital, it found. Former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector David Spencer shares the findings and explains what needs to happen to tackle the capital's crime epidemi...

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer chaired an emergency cabinet meeting and announced that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September , unless the Israeli government takes steps to end the "appalling situation" in Gaza. Before the announcement, Dr David Wearing, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex and an expert on UK foreign relations in the Middle East ex...

Today Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met Donald Trump at his golf course in Scotland, Turnberry for talks. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza was top of the agenda, but the US President also doubled down on his controversial comments that an “invasion” of migrants is “ruining” Europe.  And in part two, The Standard’s Football Writer Simon Collings shares what’s next for The Lionesses after the...

Today new measures as part of the Online Safety Act mean people will need to verify that they are over 18 to access harmful and toxic content online - with the intention of restricting children from accessing material such as pornography, and content referencing self-harm, suicide, hate speech and violence. Cyber security expert Chelsea Jarvie explores whether these ‘age gate’ measures go far enou...

Anti-migrant protests have continued to erupt this week. The Met Police have responded to a second consecutive night of anti-migrant protests outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, following confirmation that asylum seekers will be accommodated there. Meanwhile, Epping Forest District Council has asked for the immediate and permanent closure of two local asylum hotels, citing a...

England’s Lionesses have clinched their place in the Euro 2025 final , after winning yesterday’s semi-final match against Italy. Teenage striker Michelle Agyemang scored in the 96th minute, to take the game to extra time, before Chloe Kelly sealed the victory by driving home the rebound from her saved penalty. The Standard’s Sports Writer Dom Smith has the latest.  And in part two, Will Hosie...

The government has stepped up its crackdown on anyone involved in assisting illegal migration in the UK. Foreign secretary David Lammy described the new sanctions, which will be implemented tomorrow, as ‘world first’ measures to tackle people smuggling. The Standard’s Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford joins us with the latest.  And in part two, John Darlington, director of the Wor...

Ofwat is to be scrapped as part of a radical overhaul of a “broken” water regulatory system Environment Secretary Steve Reed confirmed today, following the publication of a major report from the Independent Water Commission. Giles Bristow, CEO of the campaign group Surfers against Sewage, responds to the news - and Paul Powlesland, Barrister at Lawyers for Nature, explains why he decided to become...

A major data breac h which led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK became public knowledge for the first time this week. The Standard’s Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk is here with the latest.  And in part two, The Standard’s Head of Culture, Martin Robinson, reviews Apple TV’s The Studio, the must-watch, Emmy-nominated satirical show from Seth Rogen. Hosted on Acast....

Today unemployment rates have risen to 4.7% , which is the highest rate since the second lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. But what’s the truth behind the figures? Professor Ashwin Kumar, Director of Research and Policy at the Institute of Public Policy Research, is here to unpack the data.  And in part two, The Standard’s dance critic David Jay explores the uncertain landscape of...