The Standard

It’s that time of the year again, where acts from all over the continent - and elsewhere in some cases - compete in Eurovison. The competition always gets political but this time around there’s a clear favourite that everyone can get on board with, Ukraine.

Now, the UK hasn’t got the best track record in the competition. Despite last year’s entry James Newman’s best efforts, we finished dead last and with no points. But, could this year be different? The man hoping to change our luck is none other than TikTok star Sam Ryder with ‘Space Man’.

We speak to the Evening Standard’s Jochan Embley about Eurovision politics, the competition’s rise in popularity and whether or not the UK can avoid ‘nul points’ this time around.

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A Queen’s speech… but with someone very important missing. It was the first time her majesty had missed the State Opening of Parliament for 59 years, following a decision taken by the monarch and her doctors. The Prince of Wales read on her behalf, resulting in a historical moment that gave us a taste of what the future might look like.

The speech outlined 38 Bills, including seven measures scrapping EU regulation – covering areas from data reform to gene-editing to financial services.

We speak to the Evening Standard’s Royal Editor Robert Jobson about the significance of this moment and the paper’s West End Final writer Jack Kessler about the political implications.

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This week our City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall, is following the Mayor of London on his tour of the US. Sadiq Khan is on a mission to bang the drum for our incredible city in an attempt to attract more tourists from across the pond following the pandemic. 

Today Mr Khan launches London’s biggest-ever tourism campaign in Times Square – a £10million promotions package with £7m targeting international visitors and £3m the domestic market. He’ll also meet a series of VIPs in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hollywood.

The Evening Standard has been granted exclusive access behind the scenes during this epic five-day trip and Ross Lydall takes The Leader along for the ride…

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How do you create an icon? In this episode, we talk to David Abrahamovitch, CEO of Grind, the coffee company behind those now famous pink tins and pods that are popping up in kitchens everywhere.

Listen to the full episode here.

We talk about:

•How the company turned the pandemic into an opportunity

•Why they chose pink for a beverage more often packaged in brown tones

•Advice on how to use crowdfunding to get secure money for your business

•The future of Grind and its international expansion

David’s also appearing at the Evening Standard’s SME EXPO, where he’ll be talking about crowdfunding. The event’s being held at Olympia London on May 25th and 26th, for more info – and free tickets – head to the website.

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Something unusual happened across London in the early hours of Friday.

Three of the capital’s flagship, long-held Conservative councils were seized by Labour in the UK local elections.

Wandsworth went red for the first time in 44 years and so did Barnet - but the biggest shock was the flagship council of Westminster, which is under new management as Labour took control after the Conservatives ruled since 1964.

Although Sir Keir Starmer’s party failed to make larger gains outside of the capital, the Liberal Democrats also enjoyed a strong night.

Now there remains a single blue redoubt in the centre of the capital and that’s Kensington & Chelsea, while the Tories also held Bexley, Hillingdon and many commuter belt councils neighbouring the outer boroughs.

So what does it mean for services and council tax in the likes of Wandsworth, always trumpeting its status as the council with England’s lowest rates.

To examine what all this means for the country’s political map - and the prime minister's future - we’re joined by the Standard’s deputy political editor, David Bond, who's been on the election trail speaking to voters in Wandsworth.

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Shell has announced a shock jump in its profits - nearly triple what it was last year, which has sparked calls for a windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help families struggling with the cost-of-living squeeze.

The Standard reports on Thursday how Royal Dutch Shell published underlying profits of $9.1 billion (£7.2 billion) for the first financial quarter of this year.

The biggest shock is the size of the profits, which are up 43 per cent thanks to soaring oil and gas prices.

Now, there are calls for a one-off tax on the likes of BP and Shell, suggesting a windfall payment could bring in £9 billion for the Treasury’s covid-ravaged coffers and help households .

It comes after BP announced another huge earnings jump to $6.2 billion.

Back in February, both BP and Shell were among multinational companies exiting the Russian market.

But is there a moral argument that some corporations could still be war profiteering as a knock-on effect of the invasion of Ukraine?

It comes as the Bank of England raises interest rates and warns of a recession.

To examine today’s developments, by the Evening Standard’s City Editor, Oscar Williams-Grut.

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The long-awaited £19 billion Elizabeth Line will start running through central London later this month.

Despite falling years behind schedule and going billions of pounds over budget, Transport for London says Crossrail will add 10 per cent capacity to the capital’s travel network.

But the newly-opened central section of the line will close on Sundays for several months to allow further testing and upgrades, except for the jubilee bank holiday weekend.

Construction of Crossrail began on May 15, 2009, when then Prime Minister Gordon Brown and then mayor Boris Johnson oversaw the start of piling work at Canary Wharf station.

To find out more about the significance of TfL’s announcement about the opening, we’re joined by the Evening Standard’s City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall.

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As celebrities glammed up for New York’s Met Gala, there was a stand-out star - Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 dress with six thousand crystals, which is worth nearly $5 million and was given a new lease of life by reality star Kim Kardashian.

Would you rent out your clothes instead of buying new? 

Meet the London-based technology companies hoping to save the planet and your bank balance.

We speak with Sacha Newall, founder of My Wardrobe HQ, and Eshita Kabra, founder of By Rotation.

The CEOs tell us what’s hot on their designer clothes rental platforms - and how to make the most of what you already own.

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Fans of the Crawleys, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ is officially out in UK cinemas. 

The second film of the franchise sees the aristocratic family go on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess's newly inherited villa. Also, this time around the family find themselves dealing with financial difficulties and need to find a way to make money. Creator Julian Fellowes who wrote the script for the previous installments returned to pen this outing too. 

Charlotte O’Sullivan is the Chief Film Critic for The Evening Standard and went to the movie’s  premiere in London. She gives her review and explains whether in the changing world of costume dramas there’s still a place for Downton Abbey. 

Today we talk about:

• Charlotte’s review of the film (02:17)
• The secret to Downton Abbey’s success (03:30)
• Whether there’s still a place for Downton Abbey in the changing world of costume dramas (04:47)

For the latest news follow us on Twitter @EveningStandard

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As Russian energy giant Gazprom suspends gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, the Standard’s Consumer Business Editor Jonathan Prynn discusses whether there will be knock-on effects for UK homes.

Also, how will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impact the cost-of-living crisis and what’s the risk of a recession later in 2022?

While the UK relies on just four per cent of its liquefied natural gas from Russia, the interlinked complexities of Europe’s energy market means prices can be influenced by what happens on the Continent.

Gazprom halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland after they failed to pay in roubles.

In a statement, the firm said it had “completely suspended gas supplies” to the countries, which both border Ukraine.

The decision followed Poland’s announcement that it was imposing sanctions on 50 individuals and companies, that included Gazprom.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month warned the world’s largest natural gas producer would require what he called “unfriendly” countries to pay for fuel in roubles via special bank accounts.

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