Not enough people are registering to vote for the upcoming UK General Election, which means marginal seats could be swung. We sit down with our home affairs editor Martin Bentham to discuss the importance of voting on December 12th – and how to register well in advance.

 School children are protesting against pollution in London by installing aeroplane-style breathing masks at their bus-stop.

Selma star David Oyelowo tells the Evening Standard today that he believes Netflix is having a positive impact on diversity both on and off screen. With this month’s launch of both Apple TV+ and Disney+, Features writer Lucy Tobin joins The Leader podcast to discuss the streaming wars – and the boost it’s giving to the creative industries in London.

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As a new speaker is installed to the House of Commons, we sit down with Ayesha Hazarika to talk about the important role they could play in one of the most turbulent times in UK politics.

Mikhail Gorbachev is warning the world that he believes tensions between Russia and the West put u in “colossal danger” – why we think world leaders should listen

And we talk to our digital arts editor Jessie Thompson about the women dominating major categories at this year’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

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Sadiq Khan called for a rethink on cannabis laws and policing today, to cut violent street crime. This follows a report showing that 63 per cent of Londoners think the Class B drug should be legalised for recreational and medicinal use for adults. So with opinions changing, David Cohen our investigations editor tells us why this conversation is so important.

A report by the coroner on the inquests into the London Bridge attack came out today, we discuss how we can learn from these attacks to protect and react better if these attacks happen again.

C’mon England! Our boys have battled the might of the All-Blacks and the forces of nature for their place in the Rugby World Cup final against South Africa. Will McPhearson joins us again from Tokyo to look at their story so far.

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It’s the 31st of October and we haven’t left the EU. But Boris Johnson is not ‘dead in a ditch’. In fact despite Brexit delays the Conservative government are still far ahead in the General Election polls – a scary Halloween prospect for Jeremy Corbyn. Can the Labour Party make up enough ground before December the 12th to win? Our political editor Joe Murphy’s been going through the figures from the Evening Standard’s own poll and joins The Leader podcast from his Westminster office.

Also: when the occupant of an unassuming apartment in Notting Hill died, he left behind an extraordinary collection of

his own art. Now the owners of that building want to clear it out and move someone else in. We speak to our Arts

and Features writer Melanie McDonagh about what the house is like, and why we think they should leave it alone.

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At the start of the year we predicted that we’d end 2019 by heading to the polls. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen on December 12th. A “culture war, already simmering here in the UK, could explode in this election” says today’s Leader.

We speak to associate editor Julian Glover about what this election will really be about. 

The Londoner editor Ayesha Hazarika talks about today’s Prime Minister’s questions, and why politics has become 'incredibly toxic'

And Deputy Political Editor Nicholas Cecil briefs us on how Trump’s upcoming visit will impact campaigning.

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The report into the Grenfell Tower fire has taken two years to prepare, and will be published in full tomorrow. The report will be dominated by one key finding: The London Fire Brigade’s lack of preparation and poor advice cost lives.

Investigations Editor David Cohen has spent the last two years speaking with survivors and victims’ families, and speaks to The Leader about their reactions to the report’s findings.

City Hall editor Ross Lydall and Courts reporter Tristan Kirk also join the podcast to discuss what London Fire Brigade must learn from the Grenfell disaster, and what will happen next in the process to find the truth.

Read the full Leader column here

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Has Boris Johnson done the right thing by trying to hold a December general election?

In today’s episode assistant editor Julian Glover and Londoner editor Ayesha Hazarika sit down to explain what this means across parliament and the UK, as well as for those who have supported (in huge numbers) the People’s Vote Campaign – and who were only just marching and rallying a week ago. 

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Prince Charles has made a call in the Evening Standard for big businesses to put “trillions” of pounds into environmental projects, and we think he’s right. The Standard’s Jonathan Prynn breaks down what this really means. 

The Ultra-Low Emission Zone – or ULEZ – charge is six months old. And one driver owes 13 thousand pounds – we’ve got more on that and five other things we’ve learned about the scheme.

We’re excited for tomorrow’s match between England and New Zealand, we speak to our rugby correspondent Will Macpherson in Tokyo on whether or not we are likely to win, and we sit down with our feature writer Katie Strick to find out what’s making people so excited.

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The death of 39 Chinese migrants found in the back of a lorry in Essex is a tragedy of massive proportions. And if the international community doesn’t act in response to our changing world, it may happen again. We ask Home Affairs editor Martin Bentham what must be done to avoid the loss of more innocent lives.

The British Red Cross announced today that they will no longer be providing first-air care at public events due to the costs. We think they should change their mind, raise the money and keep it running.

Thamesmead was supposed to be connected to the London tube network, but it never happened. Apparently, there wasn’t a demand. However with 11,500 new homes being planned it’s time to rethink, and build. City Editor Ross Lydell join The Leader to tell us more.

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If life in London is getting you down then you aren’t alone, according to data published today by the Office of National Statistics. The study shows that Londoners are some of the most unhappy people in the country… although we are slowly getting happier. Jonathan Prynn our business editor joins us in the studio to discuss the research in more detail.

Tutankhamun is visiting London for the first time in more than a decade, in an exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery. The Evening Standard thinks it’s an unmissable show, so for a sneak peek we speak to the exhibition curator Tarek El Awady and the Evening Standard’s Nick Curtis. 

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