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The Standard episodes

May 13, 2021 Could St Paul’s Cathedral really close forever?
St Paul’s Cathedral is in financial dire straits, with its Dean, the Very Rev Dr David Ison, admitting “very big decisions” are needed. The nearly 400-year-old building relies on international tourists to raise the cash needed for the millions of pounds worth of renovations and repairs required to keep it open.

The Evening Standard’s arts correspondent Robert Dex says during the pandemic those visitors have not been coming, leading to a 90% drop in revenue. He argues that the building is so important to London and the United Kingdom that the government and Church of England will have to find a way to keep it open – but other landmarks will not have the same protection.
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8 min
May 12, 2021 The Brits: What was it like to be there?
Showbiz reporter Lizzie Edmonds was among the 4,000 to be at the Brit Awards, the biggest live event since the pandemic began. She tells us how organisers managed to get so many people into the O2 arena safely, and the exhilaration of seeing real performers on a stage again. We also talk about the on-stage calls for more support for NHS workers, and was it a good idea to open the largest “live” music event since the pandemic with a Coldplay video?
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10 min
May 11, 2021 The Queen’s Speech: what does “level up” really mean?
The Evening Standard’s Jack Kessler breaks down the Queen’s Speech from tax rises for the better off to those controversial voter ID plans. What does the government actually mean by “level up” and will it hit cities like London in favour of shoring up the Conservative’s new found votes in former ‘Red Wall’ Labour heartlands like Hartlepool. We also discuss how the great ceremonial tradition behind the state opening of parliament was curtailed by the pandemic, with the Queen wearing a simple outfit and her audience in facemasks.
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9 min
May 10, 2021 What’s Sadiq Khan going to do now he’s London mayor again?
Our city hall editor Ross Lydall’s spoken to Sadiq Khan who has now been signed in as mayor of London for the second time at a ceremony in the Globe Theatre at the Southbank. They talk about his priorities for a new term in office, including the “Let’s do London” campaign which is encouraging people to staycation in a capital desperate to get visitors back into its attractions. Ross also gives us his analysis of the election, which proved more dramatic than many polls had predicted although ended with a clear victory for the Labour candidate.
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10 min
May 07, 2021 The BRITs Backstage: How the show goes on in a pandemic
The Brit Awards will be held on May 11th with a live audience of 4,000 heading to the O2 arena to watch acts like Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Pink on stage. And no-one will be wearing a face mask. How are they going to do that safely? We speak to Genarro Castaldo from the BPI, which organises the annual showcase, who takes us through the enormous logistics of putting together a massive live event under pandemic restrictions. We also look ahead to some of the performances, how music has become more important during lockdown, and the importance of recognising diversity in the UK music industry.
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18 min
May 06, 2021 Jersey 'could run out of food' in two days because of French blockade
Don Thompson, President of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, tells us how the French blockade of St Helier harbour could lead to the island running out of food and fuel within two days.
Tensions are escalating between the UK and France, with Britain sending two Royal Navy vessels to the Channel island to keep watch over the protest. Paris has responded by sending the military ship Athos to the harbour on a “patrol mission”.
Mr. Thompson tells the podcast the row is over a post-Brexit fishing deal, and he’s concerned “physical confrontations” between vessels could break out at sea if a resolution isn’t found.
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13 min
May 05, 2021 London Mayor election: The difference a year made
Our City Hall editor Ross Lydall tells us how a delay to the London mayoral election has affected the vote. The public’s going to the polls tomorrow, a year after the pandemic forced the ballots to be closed.
Ross says candidates like independent Rory Stewart dropping out changed the way the campaign was fought, and will probably have some effect on the vote for both Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Conservative Shaun Bailey. We discuss the latest polls and look back at an extraordinary five years since the last vote.
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11 min
May 04, 2021 How violent crime’s hurting Sadiq Khan’s mayoral election lead
Our City Hall editor Ross Lydall joins the podcast to discuss the Evening Standard’s third and final poll of voting intentions in the London mayoral election. The Opinium survey shows Mr Khan on 48 per cent, down three points on last month, and Mr Bailey unchanged on 29 per cent of first-preference votes. The first of our three polls, in March, had Mr Khan on 53 per cent and Mr Bailey on 28 per cent of first preferences.
Ross says the latest survey finds crime remains the most important issue to Londoners, having replaced health/the NHS in the second poll. We also hear about Mr Khan’s claim that he’ll try to bring the Olympics and Paralympics back to London in 2036 or 2040.
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8 min
April 30, 2021 How to spend £200k on your (Downing Street) flat refurb
Features writer Katie Strick’s been looking at how the redecoration of 11 Downing Street by Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds reportedly hit the £200,000 mark.

She reveals the costs of hiring one of London’s top interior designers, Lulu Lytle, whose fabric prices start at £100 a metre.
And she’s been looking into how much of the flat’s furnishings were really from John Lewis when the Prime Minister and his fiancée arrived, such as the £100 chrome table lamp left by Theresa May.

But is £200,000 a lot of money for a Downing Street refurbishment anyway? We also talk about the cash spent by previous occupants.
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8 min
April 29, 2021 Kate: 10 years of being a Royal
Evening Standard columnist, Anne McElvoy takes us through the changing role of the Duchess of Cambridge as we mark the 10th anniversary of her fairy tale wedding to Prince William. Has royal life turned out the way Kate Middleton wanted it to? We discuss how she’s taken on a “centrist” role, acting as a kind of peacemaker during a time of disruption in the family. And we talk about what the future holds for her, and how her influence within Buckingham Palace and the United Kingdom will change when Prince Charles becomes King.
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8 min