The Standard

The Evening Standard’s Jonathan Prynn joins the podcast as restaurant groups report an enormous demand for al fresco tables. One, the Incipio Group, says it’s taken more than 300,000 bookings for post-April 12, and some of its venues are close to having their weekends sold out until September. Jonathan says the strong response has given the company confidence to press ahead with plans for a furthe...

Arts correspondent Robert Dex joins us to look at a government plan that could allow theatres to re-open without social distancing as early as this summer. Ministers are looking at how rapid tests and proof of vaccination could allow big shows to reopen in the West End, with auditoriums filled rather than nearly empty. It follows updated advice from scientists who believe we’ll all have to sociall...

The Evening Standard’s deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil joins us to explain why researchers are to begin coronavirus vaccine trials with children. It follows news that youngsters as young as five could be given the AstraZeneca jab in trials that could be key to keeping schools open after the summer. Professor Adam Finn, head of the Bristol Children’s Vaccine Centre, says giving the inoculati...

Are we heading for another Roaring Twenties? After a year in lockdown, it appears the UK has saved quite a lot of money and now the Evening Standard’s Jonathan Prynn says we’re being encouraged to spend it.  Official figures reveal an unprecedented scale of cash piles have been put aside by households while “non-essential” shops, restaurants and bars remained closed for months and foreign hol...

The Evening Standard’s deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil joins the show to explain the new Novovax vaccine, that could be released in the UK in April. He says ministers have ordered 60 million doses, after trials found it to be 86 per cent effective against the Kent variant of Covid-19 and 96 per cent against the Wuhan strain. It comes as lockdown restrictions are lifted across the country, c...

The Evening Standard's political editor, Joe Murphy, joins the show to tell us how the relaxation of lockdown restrictions "goes further than advertised".    Trips to the seaside, the New Forest, favourite walks and cycle trails, plus top outdoor attractions such as castles, are all back within range of Londoners desperate to get out of the capital after lockdown, the Government confirme...

We’re just over one year since lockdown began, and we’re just a few days from it at least starting to come to an end. This week on the Leader podcast we’ve been looking at how the pandemic has affected our health and our economy – but what happens next? Will people go back to the office? Will they even want to? And is that going to cause problems for employers?    O2 Business has be...

It looks like the government's planning some kind of certification scheme for bars, retailers and airports that would allow people to prove they've either been vaccinated or do not have Covid-19. The Prime Minister says "there is going to be a role for certification" but it won't be put in place until "absolutely everyone" has been offered the jab.   The Evening Standard's Reveller edito...

The Conservative candidate for London Mayor, Shaun Bailey's told the Evening Standard he'll close the gap on Sadiq Khan ahead of the city making its vote on May 6th. He spoke to Ross Lydall, who joins the podcast to assess the Tory hopeful's chances after our Opinium survey of 1,100 Londoners revealed Mr Khan leads by 53 per cent to 28 per cent on first preferences.    Also, political re...

The Evening Standard's Jonathan Prynn and Nicholas Cecil discuss how measures to curb the spread of coronavirus have hit the capital city. More than £50bn has been wiped from London's economy, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CERB), but latest infection figures reveal the stats are continuing to head in the right direction with the rate for the city as a whole at 36.5 a...

Political editor Joe Murphy describes the negotiations as the European Union threatens to raise the stakes in the vaccine wars, just as Boris Johnson warns the continent's "third wave" of coronavirus will "wash up on our shores". The PM made the comments amid a fresh war of words brewing with the EU over the vaccine roll out. The president of the European Commission has warned that the EU cou...

“Staggering” official figures reveal how Covid-19 has impacted life expectancy in London -now at its worst since the Second World War. Data from PublicHealth England, analysed by the King’s Fund, shows life expectancy for Londoners has been seriously reduced - not just by a few months or even a year, but men have seen 2.5 years cut from their lives, and women will now live on average for 1.6 fewer...

Londoners are still processing the horrific disappearance and death of Sarah Everard, there is a renewed focus on what more can be done to keep women safe on the streets. As the inquest into Sarah’s death opened today, it’s been a particularly stressful time for teachers at secondary-age schools around Clapham in south-west London, where she disappeared. We speak to Gill Cross, Deputy Head Mistres...

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's shocked the UK by appearing to threaten to cut off vaccine supplies from Europe if doses of AstraZeneca made in the UK aren't sent back to the continent. Boris Johnson's hit back, warning the bloc to “stand by its commitments” and not endanger the battle against Covid-19 by imposing jab export restrictions.   The Evening Standard's dep...

With countries across Europe suspending use of the AstraZeneca injection, we speak to Dr Will Budd, from Imperial College London, about claims that the vaccine may be causing blood clots in some recipients. He tells us there's no evidence to suggest a link, and that the jab is safe. He says countries like Germany, France and Spain are simply taking precautions, but he expects they'll re-introduce...

Evening Standard crime correspondent Anthony France takes us through the events that turned a peaceful vigil on Clapham Common into a violent protest with four arrests. Could Scotland Yard have done more to ensure the event took place as planned in the first place, and why did officers apparently switch strategies as evening fell and some of those still there became more angry? He also discus...

Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave has promised Scotland Yard's dedication to the people of London is "undiminished" after it was confirmed Sarah Everard's body had been identified. The Evening Standard's home affairs editor, Martin Bentham, tells us detectives are now trawling through the background of a serving firearms officer who has been arrested on suspicion of the 33-year-old's murder.&nb...

The Evening Standard's Helena Wadia speaks to one of the organisers of Reclaim These Streets, a series of vigils taking place across the UK following the disappearance of Sarah Everard.    Jessica Leigh is among those behind an event taking place at the bandstand in Clapham Common at 6pm on Saturday. She says they'll be calling for streets to be safe for women, regardless of what they we...

It's emerged the Duchess of Sussex did make an official complaint against Piers Morgan following the former GMB host's claim that she was "lying" during her interview with Oprah. Meghan is one of 41,000 to have raised an issue with ITV, but unlike the public's complaints, hers is reported to have gone straight to the channel's CEO.   Piers Morgan insisted this morning that he "fell on hi...

We don’t know yet precisely how a year in lockdown has affected us, but we’re getting a pretty good idea. An Evening Standard survey found that 42% of our readers say their mental health has been hit by the Covid crisis. 27% don’t know what to do to improve their well-being.    On March 10th we’re launching London Minds, free online sessions involving inspiring speakers like Arianna Huff...

Buckingham Palace is struggling to contain the fallout from a series of bombshell allegations from Harry and Meghan in their much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey. The monarchy has been plunged into crisis as the Duchess of Sussex alleged that a member of the royal family had raised “concerns” when she was pregnant about how dark her son Archie’s skin would be. Meghan also told h...

Deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil joins the podcast following his story revealing how several Tory MPs have joined the backlash against the government's once percent pay rise offer for NHS workers.  Among them is former health minister Dr Dan Poulter MP, who as a doctor has been working on the frontline in a central London hospital during the pandemic.  He told The Standard the...

Another clip from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's upcoming interview with Oprah has been released, and for the first time it features Meghan speaking. The bombshell 30-second preview of Sunday's show features her accusing what she calls 'The Firm' of "perpetuating falsehoods" against her and Harry. It comes as Buckingham Palace confirms it's investigating allegations Meghan bullied some...

Former Treasury worker, now Evening Standard journalist, Jack Kessler joins the podcast to reveal the thinking behind some of Rishi Sunak's big announcements. He tells us why income and corporation tax hikes are coming, and why they're being delayed. He also explains why successive budgets have seen freezes on fuel duty, including this one.    Rishi Sunak's moment in the Commons cam...

There are two major events taking place on Wednesday that will both contribute to the survival of the culture industries once lockdown is over. The first is an expected £400m budget announcement by chancellor Rishi Sunak, which will see even more money invested into the Culture Recovery Fund, along with cash for museums and venues to stay afloat until they can re-open in May.  In the eve...