The Standard

Dominic Cummings has left Downing Street, but will he really have no influence over the government in future? We speak to Peter Cardwell, a former special advisor who worked with, and was fired by, Mr Cummings to find out what he's really like and what his legacy will be. Peter tells us Boris Johnson now has an opportunity to "reset Downing Street" and predicts a big reshuffle. Also, Evening Standard political reporter Sophia Sleigh gives us the reaction from Westminster. Who's being lined up as a potential replacement, and what will a new approach for the government actually look like?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson’s Downing Street operation's been thrown into turmoil following the dramatic resignation of his communications chief Lee Cain. We speak to our deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil who explains how the departure was forced by an apparent power struggle involving both the new press secretary Allegra Stratton and the Prime Minister's partner Carrie Symonds. He also says Dominic Cummings is facing calls from within the Conservative party for him to quit too. But the resignations couldn't come at a worse time, with Brexit negotiations bearing down on Mr Johnson, and a change in the political landscape following Donald Trump's US election loss.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A row over a statue dedicated to feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft is continuing, with protesters now covering up the silver sculpture featuring a naked woman in London. The artist behind it, Maggi Hambling, has told the Evening Standard she thinks some people are "missing the point", and it does have its defenders. We speak to historian Dr Christina Faraday who tells us why she thinks it works as a thought-provoking piece of art, and says there are lots of statues of naked men out there, too. And, Joe Wicks has told the Evening Standard he's "tired" as he picks up his PE classes for children in the second lockdown. The body coach has spoken to Susannah Butter, who tells us how the new level of stardom he achieved the first time round has led to him looking for more control and privacy in his life. She also says he's determined to carry on, taking on an exhausting challenge for Children in Need which will see him exercise for 24 hours, with just short breaks to go to the toilet and eat.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock's confirmed the UK's coronavirus vaccination programme could begin "from the start of December", but our deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil says it won't be available to everyone straight away. He also says a second vaccine, being researched in Oxford, could be just weeks away from being ready. As the world breathes a sigh of relief with the end of the coronavirus era in sight, Nicholas warns the UK government says it's not over yet. And, it's been widely reported that Dominic West’s marriage to Catherine Fitzgerald is “as good as over”. The 51-year-old star of the Affair is said to have admitted his “feelings” for 31-year-old actress Lilly James. The Evening Standard's Katie Law says the story of an older man leaving for a younger woman has been told many times, but in the modern age it's the wife who turns out to be the big winner.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Experts are hailing “promising” news of a Covid-19 vaccine that trials show to be 90 per cent effective. Its makers, Pfizer and BioNTech are calling it a "great day for science and humanity" but, if it really does work, when could the general population get to see it? We speak to Professor Karol Sikora, a former director of the World Health Organisation's cancer programme, who tells us how the vaccine works, and reveals how difficult it will be to roll it out internationally. Also, our political editor Joe Murphy has been talking to Downing Street sources about when they think President-elect Joe Biden will give Boris Johnson a phone call. There has been speculation that the Prime Minister may have to wait in turn behind European Union leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Joe Biden has branded Brexit laws on the internal market as a threat to peace in Northern Ireland, but UK officials insist the two leaders agree on many issues including climate change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A growing number of Republicans are distancing themselves from President Donald Trump, who has doubled down on claims of voter corruption in the US election. Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted that the President's claims of fraud were "getting insane". The Evening Standard’s assistant news editor Michael Howie says some believe Mr Trump isn’t just making a bad moral decision but a bad strategic one, too.And, the devastation facing London’s economy has bosses warned some businesses will never emerge from the ‘body blow’ of a second lockdown. England is just one day into four weeks of restrictions but central parts of the capital were already feeling the impact. Evening Standard business journalist Joanna Bourke says the extension of the furlough scheme has some worried lockdown will also be extended past December 2nd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden is inching ever closer to the White House, but will his ambitions be dead on arrival if the Republicans hold the Senate? Our US correspondent, David Gardner, says the Democrat's going to struggle to get his big ideas, like healthcare reform, through without the upper chamber. He also says that Donald Trump's fighting tooth and nail to hold onto the top job, and even if the incumbent loses he will retain an extraordinary power in a divided country. Also, coronavirus cases are falling in swathes of London, so did the capital really need to shut up shop? The Evening Standard's deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil says Covid-19 infections are down in 19 out of 32 boroughs and the widespread declines are an encouraging sign that the rise in cases is now starting to plateau. On the first day of a new lockdown in England, Nicholas tells us questions are being asked about whether London can exit it early?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump's vowing to go to the Supreme Court as the US election hangs on just a handful of key states. Our editorial column says the move's "without legal standing" and "saying the quiet part out loud makes him no less a danger to democracy". We also talk to US politics analyst Julie Norman, from UCL, who explains how the Trump campaign has used its underdog status to scrape up votes, and why Joe Biden is still the most likely to be in the White House this January.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special early edition of the Leader podcast, we speak to the Evening Standard's Michael Howie who's been checking the results of a unique US election. With votes still being counted, there is still no clear winner, but that's not stopped Donald Trump from claiming victory. He's also threatening to go to the Supreme Court to get the continuing counting stopped. Meanwhile, Joe Biden's called on supporters to remain calm as a path to the White House does appear to be opening up for him.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America is going to the ballot box, with predictions Donald Trump's time in the White House is over. In this special programme, we're joined by Evening Standard columnist and senior editor of the Economist, Anne McElvoy. She tells us why pollsters are giving Joe Biden a more than 90% chance of victory, but says there are - very limited - ways for Trump to upset the odds as he did in 2016. CNN anchor Julia Chatterley also joins the show to explain what might happen next under either a new Biden or resurgent Trump administration. The big difference, she says, will be taxes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.