The Standard

Thousands of farmers converged on Westminster as tractors made a slow drive through central London on Wednesday afternoon in the second protest against Labour’s inheritance tax reforms.

Farmers travelled from across the country amid anger about the plans against the so-called ‘tractor tax’ announced in last month’s Budget, which will see farms lose inheritance tax relief on assets over £1 million.

The Standard podcast has analysis of the issue with Simon Smith, a land agent and senior lecturer at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

In part two, author Joe Muggs on his new book chronicling 25 years of London electronic music superclub Fabric.

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New York prosecutors have filed a murder charge against an Ivy League graduate suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel last Wednesday.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was apprehended after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, allegedly recognised him from a surveillance photo.

Police said he was found with a gun believed to be of the same 3D-printed kind used in the killing of Thompson, as well as a fake New Jersey driver's licence and three-page handwritten manifesto in his backpack, which police said suggested anger with corporate America. 

Hear details of the arrest and NYPD manhunt.

In part two, London’s biggest new road infrastructure project will be open for drivers to use soon - but there’s a catch, it won’t be free.

The £2 billion Silvertown Tunnel in east London, nearly a mile long, is planned to ease congestion for vehicles crossing the Thames.

But when it opens in the spring, motorists will have to pay up along with those also using the 130-year-old Blackwall Tunnel under the river, as part of new tolls levied by Transport for London. 

We’re joined by the The London Standard’s transport editor Ross Lydall.

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Syrians awoke on Monday to hope - but also uncertainty - after the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized the capital Damascus.

Dictator President Bashar al-Assad reportedly fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family’s brutal rule.

As rescuers search for tens of thousands of prisoners held in the regime’s underground torture prisons in horrific conditions, what now for post-Assad Syria?

Plus, how will the weekend’s events impact the wider Middle East crisis - and will HTS see its terrorist designation removed by countries including the UK?

We’re joined The London Standard’s defence editor, Robert Fox.

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Welcome to The Standard podcast’s round-up special edition. 

In this episode:

• President Joe Biden pardons son Hunter, sparing him a possible prison sentence for gun and tax convictions
• British drivers will see a shake-up of the road tax rules in the spring, with a new emissions-based charging system and EV drivers paying for first time
• Victims of the crime of stalking are to be given better protection including the right to know the identity of their online harasser as part of new legal protections unveiled by the Home Office
• London’s most expensive ever residential development, in Mayfair, where prices start at £35 million
• Three rail companies serving London commuters will be renationalised by Labour next year
• Surge in norovirus cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency
• PM Starmer pledges every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have a named, contactable police officer.
• UCL study reveals link between social media posting and mental health problems.

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As part of The Bigger Life Festival, brought to you by Masterclasses from The London Standard, host Nicola Barron is joined by manifestation expert Salarah Starre, who’s leading a special workshop at the event. With 'manifest' named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2024, Salarah explains why it's gaining so much attention, the fundamentals behind it, and how you can start applying manifestation techniques to your life.

The Bigger Life Festival kicks off in January with a series of live, interactive workshops designed to help you start the new year with purpose. From wellness to career advice, there’s something to inspire every part of your life. Early bird passes are available now.

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The prime minister has pledged every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have a named, contactable police officer, as part of his “plan for change” outlined on Thursday.

In a speech billed as setting out the “next phase” of Labour's government, Sir Keir Starmer detailed ambitious “milestones” for achieving the five missions laid out in Labour’s manifesto - also including targeting hospital backlogs, domestic energy creation and giving children a better start in life.

Sir Keir's new officers pledge comes with £100 million to support neighbourhood policing.

But will this be enough to cover funding for the planned 13,000 recruits - and what about the wider justice system, such as more investment in courts infrastructure?

The Standard podcast is joined by Tyrone Steele, deputy legal director of Justice, the cross-party law reform and human rights charity.

In part two, University College London research finds adults who post frequently on social media are at greater risk of developing mental health problems than those who passively view content - The London Standard's health reporter Daniel Keane discusses his exclusive report on the study.

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Three rail companies serving London commuters will be renationalised by Labour next year - with a fourth also in the government's sights - under a “major shake-up” of British railways. It's claimed renationalisation will save £150 million in management fees alone. So, how will Labour's Great British Railways project impact journeys, delays, ticket prices and the prospect of train strikes? Mark Blunden is joined by The London Standard’s transport editor Ross Lydall.

In part two, our health reporter Daniel Keane on a surge in norovirus cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency, but slightly more heartening news for the recovery of young people suffering from long Covid, revealed in a UCL study.

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Victims of the crime of stalking are to be given better protection including the right to know the identity of their online harasser.

New legal protections unveiled by the Home Office also include Stalking Protection Orders and a ban on contacting victims from prison.

In this episode, we’re joined broadcaster and activist Nicola Thorp, who's also a former star of Coronation Street, to discuss her experience of being stalked online.

Thorp's ordeal helped inspire the ‘Right to Know’ guidance for police, after data protection laws hampered her discovering vital details about the stalker.

The Standard podcast also speaks with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s director of services and development, Catherine McLaughlin, after the charity brought a ‘super-complaint’ with other organisations to demand better support for victims.

In part two, The London Standard’s business editor Jonathan Prynn on London’s most expensive ever residential development, in Mayfair, where prices start at £35 million – around 70 times the average cost of a home in the capital. 

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Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing him a possible prison sentence for gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

The Democratic president had previously said he would interfere in the justice process after Hunter’s convictions in the two federal cases in Delaware and California. The “full and unconditional pardon” comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive to be sentenced after his trial conviction in the gun case - with much of the incriminating material coming from his notorious laptop - and guilty plea on tax charges. 

The u-turn comes less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

The Standard podcast is joined by Professor Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, US politics and public policy expert at the University of Essex.

In part two, British drivers will see a shake-up of the road tax rules in the spring, with a new emissions-based charging system and EV drivers paying for the first time.

We hear both sides of the debate, with Brian Mooney, campaign manager at Fair Deal for the Motorist, and David Bailey, professor of business economics at the Birmingham Business School.

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Welcome to The Standard podcast’s round-up special edition, where we bring you the news highlights from the week that was.

It began with nightmare weather as Storm Bert continued to bring disruption into Monday following winds over 80mph and torrential downpours caused “devastating” flooding over the weekend, in which five people were believed to have died.

Continuing our reports on the future of Oxford Street, we looked at mayor Sadiq Khan’s hiring plans for some very well remunerated jobs to create a “commercial model” and help envision his pedestrianisation plans.

Tuesday brought the announcement of a government white paper on wide-ranging reforms designed to tackle economic inactivity in a bid to bring more than two million people back into work.

We also looked at whether Black Friday sales promotions were all they seemed, the closure of London’s historic Smithfield meat market after more than 900 years and spoke with a former British Army officer who had a stroke at 28 and is now skiing to the South Pole, plus Bafta winner Kit Young on starring in a new London interpretation of Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse - and getting his new award through airport security. 

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