The Standard

The worst train strikes in 30 years are going ahead this week, as members of the RMT Union take industrial action against plans to cut more than two thousand jobs, while calling for better pay.It’s thought just one in five trains will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in what’s been called the biggest outbreak of industrial action on the railways for a generation.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested the strikes are a ‘stunt’ being carried out ‘for effect’, and claimed face-to-face discussions between the government and unions don’t lead to resolutions.We hear from Mick Lynch, Secretary General of the RMT Union about why they are striking, and the Evening Standard’s Business Editor Jonathan Prynn takes a look at how the strikes will hit London’s economy, and how much more travel disruption the capital can take.Follow us on Twitter for more news @EveningStandard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As London braces itself for an onslaught of industrial action across the transport network, what’s at stake, what is the Mayor doing — and will it continue for months? We speak to transport journalist, and author of British Rail: A New History, Christian Wolmar who tells us:  The inside story of why negotiations are so hardWhy both the government and unions see strikes as an advantage to themHow TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan are frustrated at being stuck in the middleHow the current action hasn't been seen since 1982What it will take to end negotiationsWhy you should expect more strikes through summer and into the winterYou can read more analysis from Christian Wolmar at standard.co.uk, and follow our live blog for up-to-the-minute news on the rail and tube strikes.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ella Mills is the founder of UK wellness brand Deliciously Ella - focused on plant-based food and improving health, which marks its ten year anniversary this year. In this episode Ella discusses how her business started as a health blog, and snowballed into a lucrative and varied business.Listen to the full episode of How to be a CEO here.In the full episode Ella talks about:Marking its ten year anniversary (1.19)How Deliciously Ella started as a blog (2.48)How Ella used plant-based food to recover from her illnesses (5.41)Managing to stick to a plant-based diet (8.12)Building a brand before building a business (10.04)What it's like running such a varied business (10.46)Ella's decision to buy out her investors (11.42)How Ella's been successful...despite doing some things backwards (15.32)Is the brand to blame for the growth in plant-based food? (16.04)Will there be exponential growth in the plant-based food market? (18.51)Might Deliciously Ella brand out into fake meat products? (21.27)What's next for the business? (23.01)Ella's hopes and wishes for 2022 (24.17)You can check out some of Deliciously Ella on Instagram.Remember to follow us on Twitter for more news from the Evening Standard. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can London transform to an all electric vehicle infrastructure? Our City Hall editor, Ross Lydall tells us how the Evening Standard’s launched its Plug It In campaign to help Londoners better understand the electric vehicle landscape and drive forward the conversation on a policy level, and at global scale. And we talk about the upcoming rail strikes and how Londoners can get around the city.Also in this episodeSadiq Khan on why electric vehicles “aren’t a silver bullet” but still vital for London’s environmentThe costs of buying – and maintaining – an electric carWhy London has nearly a third of the entire UK’s electric vehicle charging points, but it’s still not enoughWhat’s happening with the rail and tube strikes next weekCan we expect more strikes in the summer months?To learn more about the Evening Standard’s Plug It In campaign click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has issued a white paper setting out what’s been described as "the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in 30 years". It said the changes will "redress the balance" between landlords and private tenants in England, and include a pledge to outlaw “no-fault” evictions (where landlords can end tenancies without giving a reason).The proposals also feature new rules making it easier to own a pet in rented accommodation, and a doubled notice period for rent increases.CEO of the National Residential Landlords Association Ben Beadle gives his reaction to the proposals, and explains how landlords are likely to respond to the changes.And Livi Elsmore from the Renters Reform Coalition gives the renters’ perspective on the shake-up, and explains how the proposals can benefit those in rented accommodation.Follow us on Twitter for more news @EveningStandard  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first flight due to take asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda under the government’s new deportation policy has been cancelled.It was called off because of a last-minute intervention from the European Court of Human Rights, blocking the removal of those who’d been scheduled to be on the plane.Ministers have described it as a ‘temporary set-back’ in their plans, and remain confident a second flight will leave the UK soon.We speak with Frances Swaine, a solicitor from Leigh Day representing one of the people due to fly out on the deportation flight about what happens next, and how her client is coping.Plus the Evening Standard’s Political Editor Nicholas Cecil examines what this latest drama means for the government, and considers what Boris Johnson’s next moves might be.Follow us on Twitter for more news and analysis @EveningStandard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As London marks five years since the Grenfell Tower Fire, we are looking back at the last half-decade to find out what lessons have been learned from the disaster, and what changes have or haven’t been implemented since.Campaigners claim there’s still work to be done to eradicate the cladding from buildings across the country, and get justice for the 72 that died.The Evening Standard’s Rachael Burford runs us through the history of the fire, what happened that day, and the revelations that followed the Grenfell Inquiry.Plus, Joe Delaney from Justice 4 Grenfell who witnessed the fire itself and has been taking part in the inquiry, talks to us about how it has impacted his life over the last five years, and what changes he wants to see from the government.And we speak with Emma Butt, Children’s Champion at the Nova charity about how children impacted by the disaster are still struggling with their mental health today.Follow us on Twitter @EveningStandard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following reports Google has developed a “sentient” artificial intelligence chatbot capable of reasoning and thinking, what is the future role of AI and the vast amounts of data washing around London?For a special edition, we’re at Westminster’s QEII Centre for the first day of London Tech Week, which has been rebranded for the week as a trendy “campus” for the leading lights in technology to get together.We ask City Hall’s Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell about the practicalities of using data as a tool to address violent crime and poverty, and whether blockchain’s actually viable for running city services.Plus, is there enough oversight to stop the machines taking over?We also look at what role AI might actually have in our working and personal lives in the near future.To answer these questions, we hear from David Guile, Professor of Education and Work at UCL, who discusses the role of humans in the 21st Century workplace, and how to work out if you’re speaking to a human or a chatbot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Murray Ellender is CEO and co-founder of eConsult, an online consultation system for GPs currently in use in more than 3,200 practices around the country.Disrupting tradition and work practicesThe methods eConsult used to set a price point for something didn’t existThe dilemmas faced by doctors during the Covid-19 pandemicTo hear the full episode from our How to be a CEO podcast click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s been a tale of woe for Londoners trying to go about our daily business - those Tube strikes left more people cramming on buses, trying our best to keep calm and carry on. As the summers temperatures rise, there’s more industrial action on the horizon - but how about the future?In 2050, the population’s is predicted to have risen by well over a million people. So how will the road and TfL’s Tube and rail networks cope, and how is planning for freak events, such as pandemics, undertaken?It’s not all flying taxis - although that could be part of the solution.The answer begins with your “digital twin” making up a “synthetic population” of Londoners zipping around a computer doing virtual tasks and errands - just like humans would. The Leader’s joined by Dr Aruna Sivakumar, a reader in consumer demand modelling and urban systems at Imperial College London’s Centre for Transport Studies.Dr Sivakumar’s also director of the Urban Systems Lab, and is a research expert on smart cities of the future.We break down why “microsimulation” mapping is critical to stop the capital grinding to a halt in the future, discuss grid demand from electric vehicles and flying taxis.You can hear us discuss the controversial per-mile charging and whether the capital’s olde worlde streets are fit for purpose in the second half of the 21st Century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.