The Standard

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. 

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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.

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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? 

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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? 

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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. 

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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. 

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“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.

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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