The Standard

The opening of Crossrail has been delayed yet again until the first half of 2022 with at least another £450 million added to the total bill. In yet another “deeply disappointing” setback, the team responsible for the 60-mile east-west route across London said social-distancing rules meant only half the normal number of workers could be on site. Conservative London Mayor candidate Shaun Bailey tells us Sadiq Khan needs to take control, and the new TfL Commissioner should be "put on blast". The “breathtaking” £2,000,000,000,000 landmark was passed last month when the Treasury borrowed a further £26.7 billion to support the economy with emergency coronavirus measures such as the jobs furlough scheme. But the Evening Standard's Jonathan Prynn says the problems have been building for more than a decade.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GCSE and A-level pupils are celebrating record grades, but half a million BTec students are still awaiting results and thousands of young people remain in the dark over places at sixth forms and universities. The Evening Standard's education editor Anna Davis says it'll be at least until next week before the results fiasco starts to clear up. Meanwhile, teachers have been telling her they just want to make sure the schools can re-open in September so none of their pupils have to go through this again.  And, live theatre has returned to London with the first performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. In his review for the Evening Standard, our critic Nick Curtis says it felt like the "blood was flowing back into the capital's cultural veins". He joins the podcast to reveal what it's like sitting in an audience again, but warns other shows will still be impossible to put on while social distancing restrictions are in place.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A decision to hike train fares by 1.6% in January has been greeted with dismay by those who have been trying to encourage commuters to get out of their houses and back into offices. But the pandemic's led to a massive fall in the number of people using rail and that's caused millions of pounds to be lost from the network. Is there an alternative that will encourage people to get on trains, and not leave the system strapped for cash? We speak to Mike Hewitson from the Transport Focus watchdog, which wants new types of tickets created that will let people travel for the days they need without having to but weekly or annual season tickets. And, Heathrow's to trial a coronavirus testing centre which the airport claims could end the need for people to quarantine for 14 days if they enter from a country off the UK's 'safe list'. There are already similar schemes running in places like Italy and Hong Kong, but will it work in the UK and should passengers have to foot the £150 bill to take the test? Travel consultant and commentator Paul Charles says it could make a massive difference to the struggling travel industry, but it will need government support to make it work. He also warns that at least one more country will be struck off the safe list this week.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marks and Spencer is to cut 7,000 jobs over the next three months, and customers working from home is one of the reasons why. The company says there's been a "material shift" in trading, with its once strong sales in office wear taking a hammering because so few people are going back to their desks. Evening Standard city journalist Mark Shapland says it's not the only retailer to be hit hard by the change in working patterns caused by coronavirus, and warns a move towards home delivery of food with Ocado will face fierce competition from Amazon. And, some analysts are saying Michelle Obama "stole the show" at the Democratic Convention last night. Her pre-recorded video streamed to audiences in the virtual event criticised Donald Trump by name, saying he's "in over his head" as President. Our comment editor Susannah Butter's been analysing the campaign strategies for both parties, and says deploying Miss Obama is a "smart move" by Joe Biden because she's mostly stayed out of politics since her family left the White House.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With mounting anger from the public, and criticism from within the Tory party, is the education secretary's job at risk following the exams crisis? Gavin Williamson's being attacked by some for taking too long to resolve the problem, with two ministers among those raising concerns over how it's being dealt with. Our political editor Joe Murphy says Mr Williamson has Boris Johnson's support for now, but there are rumours a cabinet re-shuffle is on its way sooner rather than later. And, Al Murray joins the podcast to tell us about how he and Jayde Adams compered the first major comedy gig to be held indoors since lockdown began. The show in Camden's been described as "magical" in the Evening Standard's review, but how was it put together and did acts like Shappi Khorsandi have any material after spending so long in their houses?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than 150,000 holidaymakers are scrambling back to Britain from France before tough new quarantine restrictions come into force. From 4am om Saturday, the new rules mean anyone returning from the UK's second most popular holiday destination must stay at home and self-isolate for 14 days. We speak to Abigail Thomas who has cut short her holiday in Avignon and is in a car, trying to get to Calais as quickly as she can in the hope of catching a ferry home. The Evening Standard's Naomi Ackerman examines why the decision's been made, and what advice there is for travellers.Also, Rishi Sunak's issued an appeal to millions of Londoners to “do our bit” to revive the capital’s powerhouse economy while remaining on guard to keep coronavirus at bay. Speaking to the Evening Standard, the Chancellor's urging more people to return to offices or other workplaces and enjoy the capital’s restaurants, pubs and bars, as well as get back into shops. Our deputy political editor, Nicholas Cecil tells us ministers are hopeful lower coronavirus rates will give the city the courage to get out of the house again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Headteachers from across the country are scrambling to launch thousands of appeals against “unfair” A-level results as a storm over the exam system grows. Many students have been left distraught after about 280,000 entries were downgraded from teacher assessments. But the Evening Standard's education editor Anna Davis says the appeals will have to wait because authorities can't agree on how the procedure should work. Meanwhile, universities are being urged to be lenient towards applicants, but it looks like many hopefuls won't get the places they wanted. Anna tells us what's gone wrong, and the desperate efforts to put it right.Also, the world famous Oxford Street Christmas lights could sparkle a little earlier this year. Businesses in the West End are considering an October switch on to encourage people back to the shops. Jace Tyrell, the CEO of the New West End Company, which represents 600 firms in the area, says it "could be the earliest Christmas ever" but it's needed after coronavirus virtually wiped out trading in the summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an exam result shambles in Scotland, it's England's turn - but lessons don't appear to have been learned. The government's u-turned on using a similar algorithm to standardise marking A-levels and GCSEs that caused chaos north of the border. Yet, the so-called "triple-lock" guarantee is only causing more confusion. How will the tests be graded, and what can pupils who have already had a year of disruption do if they think they've been treated unfairly? We talk to Evening Standard columnist, and senior editor of the The Economist, Anne McElvoy whose own 15 year old is waiting for their results. And, who is Kamala Harris have we really all been pronouncing her name wrong? The former California prosecutor's just been picked by Joe Biden to be his Vice President in what's shaping up to be a brutal US election this November. The chair of Democrats Abroad UK, Inge Kjemtrup tells us why she thinks Ms Harris will be the decisive factor in the race to the White House. And also explains how so many people have been saying the candidate's name wrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 102 days with no locally transmitted infections, coronavirus is back in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed four cases have been found in Auckland, the country's biggest city, which has now been put into lockdown. Restrictions are being increased in the rest of the country, with people being asked by the government to wear masks for the first time. Radio New Zealand host Karyn Hay joins the podcast and tells us how shops had to shut their doors to protect their staff after panic buyers descended on them almost immediately after the news broke.Also, almost three quarters of a million jobs have been lost in the British economy since the start of the coronavirus lockdown. The Office for National Statistics says  730,289 fewer people were receiving a wage from an employer in July than in March, when Boris Johnson issued the “stay at home” order. The Evening Standard's consumer business editor Jonathan Prynn says the figures are the worst since 2009, and could get higher still as the furlough scheme comes to an end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson says the country has a "moral duty" to get children back in school this September. But with scientists debating the safety of it, how does the government plan to re-open classrooms without increasing the risk of coronavirus spreading? The Prime Minister says he has a plan, but there doesn't seem to be much detail being released to the public. Our deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil reveals what ministers have been telling him, and how encouraging more pupils to walk or cycle will be a key part of the strategy. Also, one of Britain's finest actors Simon Callow's written for the Evening Standard about the loss of live performance and the tragedy of theatres being wiped out by covid-19. He joins the podcast to tell us why London will not be the same without its vibrant performing arts sector. Also, on the day four of the city's major pantomimes say they won't be going ahead this year, Simon explains how panto is essential to bringing young people into theatres and developing a life-long love of the stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.