The Standard

An NHS vaccine for chickenpox will be rolled out in England from January, in the biggest expansion of the childhood immunisation programme for a decade. It will be offered as part of a new combined MMRV vaccine, for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, by GPs. Professor Helen Bedford, from the UCL Institute of Child Health joins us with the latest. And in part two, The Standard’s Culture Writer...

Today Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been accused of running “the economy like Baldrick”, from the Blackadder sitcom, and risking rising rents, amid reports that the Treasury is considering hiking tax for landlords . Ahead of this autumn’s budget, Reeves is desperately trying to find ways to raise revenue and improve the UK’s public finances. The Standard’s Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burf...

Campaigners are calling for free public transport in London , as travel fares are set to rise above inflation until 2030 - but is it feasible? The Standard’s City Hall and Transport Editor Ross Lydall joins us to discuss the issue, alongside his latest reporting on the worrying rise of fare evasion across London’s transport network.   And in part two, why the Bifana, a traditional Portug...

Today, a record 6.5 million Britons are claiming out of work benefits - a jump of 500,000 since Labour came to power. It comes despite Sir Keir Starmer’s election campaign promise to “get Britain working” and achieve the highest employment rate in the G7. In some parts of the UK, like Blackpool, Liverpool and Glasgow, more than a quarter of working-age adults are now on out-of-work benefits. The S...

A wave of protests outside hotels used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers is set to take place over the weekend. It comes as the latest figures showed there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels , marking a rise of 8 per cent during Labour’s first year in office. Kolbassia Haoussou, Director of Survivor Empowerment at Freedom from Torture shares his own experience of fleeing fr...

It’s GCSE Results day - and London is further ahead of any other region in the country, when it comes to students achieving at least a 7 or an A grade. We’re joined by Efua Poku Amanfo, a researcher at The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) to discuss. And in part two, freelance writer and editor Olive Pometsey joins after interviewing the South African pop superstar Tyla , who is perform...

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...