The Leader | Evening Standard daily

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 confirmed to the Standard.   But Joe warns that people are being discouraged from hugging their friends and relatives, with Downing Street still concerned about rising coronavirus infection rates in Europe, where a third wave appears to be gathering strength.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 been looking at this, and they’ve discovered there are three types of people out there: office cravers, home dwellers, and mixers. We spoke to their Managing Director Jo Bertram to ask her about who those people are and how we’re all going to have to adapt to a post-pandemic world.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 editor, David Ellis, joins the show to look at how 'Covid Passports for Pubs' might work, and if it will hurt an industry struggling to recover from lockdown or will it make potential customers feel more safe?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 reporter Sophia Sleigh's spoken to historian Dan Snow about proposals for a Covid-19 memorial at Whitehall. But what would something like that look like and is London the best place for it?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 as of March 17, down nine per cent on the previous week. We also discuss how the threat of a third wave hitting the UK could be staved off if the vaccination programme continues to be rolled-out at speed, but doctors are warning it's "a race against time" with the virus gathering strength on the continent.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 could “forbid” doses made in the bloc from being exported to the UK.   Also, if you’re a Deliveroo customer, chances are you’ll have had an offer to tuck into a slice of its IPO pop up in your inbox. So, what do you do? Buy in the hope of making big profits from your takeaway habit, or steer clear of what looks like a frothy market for IPOs? Our city editor Jim Armitage gives his verdict and tells us why today's digital stocks are reminding him of the late 90s dotcom bubble.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

“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 years - and this is even worse for disadvantaged Londoners after suffering years of austerity policies. And a UCL investigation commissioned by Mayor Sadiq Khan and TfL has revealed a spike in deaths among London’s bus drivers, as face masks look set to be the norm on public transport for a while. The Evening Standard’s Health Editor, Ross Lydall, who has been covering both stories, gives us his insight.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 Mistress at Streatham and Clapham High School, an independent girls’ school with over 500 pupils, where teachers have been supporting pupils and empowering them to report abuse. In Covid vaccine developments, as the Government admits there will be a delay in the vaccine rollout - but insists it’s on track - we speak to Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, about the Indian government’s decision to hold back millions of doses from Britain, the ongoing row with the European Commission over jab exports and where all this leaves Boris Johnson’s roadmap.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 deputy political editor Nicholas Cecil joins the podcast to look at a surprising turn of events that's come in the same week countries like Germany, France and Italy said they were pausing use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. He also discusses the latest in the UK's vaccination programme, as the country passes the 25 million doses given landmark and extends invites for the injection to everyone over 50.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 the vaccine soon.    Also, the Evening Standard's Jonathan Prynn talks to us as the Duke of Edinburgh is finally released from hospital after nearly a month. Prince Philip was being treated at King Edward VII for an infection and a heart condition. He's now thought to be back at Windsor castle with the Queen.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 discusses the future of Met Commissioner Cressida Dick, who is under pressure to resign over what happened with politicians like the Lib-Dem's Sir Ed Davey saying she should quit.  But Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel are giving her their full backing, and she insists she's the right woman to lead the force as London, and the UK, tries to reckon with violence against women.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. He also says the Met is facing five investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, including one looking at whether an opportunity to arrest the officer earlier for a different alleged offence was missed.    And, our city hall editor Ross Lydall joins us to talk about his meeting with London Mayoral candidate Laurence Fox. The actor and "anti-woke" campaigner has sparked a backlash after saying that Britons had a “sovereign choice” to decide whether or not to get vaccinated.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 wear, where they live or what time of day or night it is.   A survey for UN Women UK, published this week, found that 97 per cent of women aged 18-24 said they have been sexually harassed. Similar vigils are due to be held across the UK.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 his own sword", but the Evening Standard's Jonathan Prynn says ITV bosses had to have taken Meghan's intervention into account. He also talks about how the interview is having impacts across the world, particularly in Commonwealth countries.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 Huffington, Dr Rupy Aujla, and Ben Bidwell from the Naked Professors podcast.  Joining the Leader podcast are co-founder of the Movember campaign JC, and Power Hour podcast host Adrienne Hebert. They talk about the growing mental health crisis, and give simple advice on how to look after yours.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.