The Standard

Singer KT Tunstall joins the Leader for a special episode looking at the resurgence of culture as lockdown eases. Along with the Evening Standard's showbiz journalist Lizzie Edmonds we ask does the launch of Taylor Swift's new album and the opening of the Tate galleries next week show that the arts are coming back alive after months of lockdown? We also talk about Kanye West's controversial Presidential run and his own apparently delayed new record. KT also tells us how the loss of live gigs is damaging emerging bands, and her own attempts to keep fans engaged despite having to cancel a string of concerts this year.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The full scale of the battle to save central London’s economy has been laid bare with an Evening Standard survey finding many workers in Britain’s top companies are set to stay away from the office for months. We've spoken to FTSE 100 firms and found a series of the UK’s largest listed businesses have no immediate plans to return many staff to offices. City journalist Simon English says tens of thousands of employees will continue to work remotely, with some not going back at all this year. But how will that affect the city centre's crumbling economy?Also, they resent wearing masks, think lockdowns are unlawful, and say that safety measures are an attack on their civil liberties.The Covid Contrarians are a wide group of virus refuseniks, who say their numbers are growing as pandemic politics divides the country. Feature writer Katie Strick's taken a deep dive into the community, and tells us what she found.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Labour Party has agreed to pay "substantial damages" to seven ex-employees following a BBC Panorama investigation into anti-Semitism within the party. The whistleblowers, who were responsible for the probe into alleged misconduct by party members, sued Labour over “defamatory and false allegations”. Evening Standard columnist Ayesha Hazarika tells us why it's an important move for Sir Keir Starmer, but reveals Jeremy Corbyn's not thought to be backing down.Also, driving tests have re-started and used car sales are back to pre-lockdown levels. Are commuters being driven back to cars as offices prepare to re-open? How do we encourage people onto trains and busses after months of messaging telling us to stay off them? We speak to environmental psychologist Dr Ian Walker who fears the beginnings of a "green recovery" are in jeopardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A long-awaited report into Russian interference in the UK has made a bombshell claim: the Government ‘actively avoided looking for evidence’ of a threat from the Kremlin. MI5 is also criticised for its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee as it investigated whether Moscow sought to sway the outcome of the 2016 Brexit vote. The Evening Standard’s Julian Glover says the big question now is: whose decision was it not to look for Russian influence?And, Boris Johnson has assembled his Cabinet face-to-face for the first time since Spring. Ministers were socially distanced and had easy access to hand sanitiser - measures we’ve become familiar with to stop the spread of Covid-19. But they were under no obligation to wear face masks, despite them becoming mandatory in shops and on public transport. Oxford University Professor Melinda Mills and director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science says these confusing messages could lead to a second spike in cases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Offering a glimmer of hope in the fight against coronavirus, the UK has secured 90 million ‘promising’ Covid-19 vaccine doses being developed globally. That’s on top of 100 million doses of a vaccine developed by Oxford University, that today announced its phase 2 trials had been successful. The Evening Standard’s Nicolas Cecil says now we need an army of 500,000 to put their hand up for further trials so we can find out whether any of them will work. Kanye West kicked off his presidential campaign with a chaotic rally in Charleston, South Carolina. But, nothing at the unconventional event clarified whether his bid for the Oval Office is genuine. While it's unlikely he’ll be the 46th President of the United States, could hehave an impact on the election result? Natasha Lindstaedt from the Department of Government at the University of Essex tells us what we can expect from West as the election nears. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson's told the UK he hopes the country will return to "normality" by Christmas. But the Prime Minister's also admitting it's a "hope" and he has to prepare for the worst. Mr Johnson's been outlining the further lifting of restrictions, including allowing theatres to stage indoor performances with live audiences. He also revealed draconian new laws that will allow ministers to impose stay at home order. Our political editor Joe Murphy says behind the scenes, there are doubts over whether Mr Johnson will hit his targets, and concerns we will be dealing with coronavirus for years to come. Also, it was a unique ceremony for a unique man. Colonel Sir Tom Moore has been knighted by the Queen at Windsor Castle. But what challenges did our 94 year old monarch face in honouring the 100 year old veteran? Was she able to tap him on the shoulder with her sword, as is tradition, while still keeping 2 metres apart from him? The Evening Standard's Lizzie Edmonds tells us about that and other complications that come with a knighting ceremony during lockdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost a third of London commuters who are working from home say they do not expect to return to their offices before Christmas, according to poll findings seen by the Evening Standard. The results suggest that the struggling central London economy faces a huge challenge for the rest of the year and beyond, with tens of thousands fewer workers spending their wages in shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs. It comes as Boris Johnson's expected to announce that people should return to their desks after months at home. But our consumer business editor Jonathan Prynn says that's going to be easier said than done. Also, was the Twitter hack an inside job? Evening Standard tech journalist Amelia Heathman talks to us about rumours one of the company's employees was allegedly paid to change the passwords of major account holders like Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama and Bill Gates. They were among several high profile users who found their feeds hijacked with posts asking followers to send them bitcoins. Despite a rapid response from Twitter, it looks like a lot of people were duped in what's being called a "smash and grab raid".  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wildlife experts have alerted the Evening Standard that a global conservation “crisis” is unfolding as the disruption caused by Covid-19 causes a surge in the poaching of species for the illegal wildlife trade. India, Nepal, Pakistan and several African countries have all reported a poaching spike. A number of wildlife protection programmes have been curtailed due to the abrupt halt of tourism revenue as a result of Covid-19, leaving endangered animals more vulnerable to slaughter. In this special edition of the Leader podcast we speak to some of the world's leading conservation experts, who also warn that the booming poaching trade may have been the cause of coronavirus - and could do it again. You can also find out about the Evening Standard and Independent's joint Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which you can donate to here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the day the government announced it's introducing mandatory face masks in shops, Michael Gove's been seen walking into a coffee shop without one. Meanwhile, his cabinet colleague Liz Truss had one on when she went into the same place. Is the message getting muddled already? And why is the law not going to come in effect for another 10 days? We get answers from the Evening Standard's deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil. Also, unemployment could soar to more than four million by the end of the year as “disappointing” GDP figures dash hopes of a rapid V-shaped recovery. Britain’s economy watchdog,the Office for Budget Responsibility, has laid bare the damage being wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in a major new report. Economist Stephen King takes us through its findings, and warns uncertainty over Brexit could make things worse.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Central London is facing the biggest economic crisis in generations with tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses at risk of being wiped out in Britain’s most vibrant economic powerhouse. An Evening Standard investigation has unearthed the true scale of the problem, revealing predictions that 50,000 jobs in the vulnerable retail, tourism and hospitality sectors could disappear in the West End alone this year with total spending down by half — a loss of revenue of about £5 billion — as a direct result of the coronavirus lockdown. Our consumer business editor Jonathan Prynn tells the podcast why it's the worst outlook since the Second World War.Also, Andy Byford earned the nickname "Train Daddy" when he turned around New York's failing transit system. Now he's back in London, where he started as a trainee on the underground, having been picked as TfL's commissioner by Sadiq Khan. The Evening Standard's City Hall editor Ross Lydall takes him for a walk around the city to find out what the new boss's plans for the future are. Is Crossrail among them? And how will he get reluctant commuters back on the tube? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.