The Standard

How Boris Johnson committed a “serious, serious contempt”. 180-page report deconstructed. Boris brands report findings 'deranged’. Is his punishment enough? Our Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford discusses the report, what punishment awaits Mr Johnson, how the public might respond, and what might happen next. In this episode:

• The key points from the Privileges Committee’s report
• How Boris responded to the findings
• What punishment will the former Prime Minister face?
• MPs will be asked to ‘approve’ report findings
• Are the public ‘fatigued’ about Partygate
• Will this report resonate with the public?
• Could this be the end for Boris Johnson in British politics?

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Six years after the Grenfell tragedy, survivors and witnesses tell their story from the night, and reveal the legacy left by the fire. Tiago Alves and Joe Delaney, who both escaped the building, are joined by our Crime Reporter John Dunne, and former Evening Standard photographer Jeremy Selwyn who both covered the Grenfell fire in 2017. 

Please note: This episode contains the stories of Grenfell survivors and some graphic details which some listeners may find distressing.

In this episode:

• Stories from the night retold 
• Why Jeremy no longer looks at the stark picture he took of the building
• How therapy has helped Tiago cope with the tragedy
• The moment Joe tried to declare a major incident
• How John could ‘still smell’ the smoke months afterwards
• How changing government ministers have scuppered attempts to affect change

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode then you can contact the mental health charity Mind on 0300 123 3393 or online here.

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It’s the start of the Covid-19 Inquiry, where the way in which the Government handled the pandemic will be fully investigated. 

It'll take at least three years to get all the answers, but at the heart of this inquiry are documents, WhatsApp messages and bereaved families waiting to know the truth.

Tristan Kirk, the Evening Standard’s Courts Correspondent, takes us through the key moments of the first day, what to expect as the inquiry continues and the potential repercussions of its findings.

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Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson clash over honours list saga. Three by-elections triggered as Tory MPs quit. Can the Conservative Party bounce back from this latest drama? Our Political Editor Nicholas Cecil discusses the impact these resignations will have on the Conservative party, and how Rishi Sunak can bounce back from this latest set-back. In this episode:

• How the MP resignations came out of the blue
• How they are linked to Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list
• Will Rishi Sunak’s comments help him?
• Are we expecting any more resignations?
• How will the Prime Minister bounce back?

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This is a bonus episode taken from our business show, How to be a CEO. Every start-up has an origin story. Vishal Marria’s is pretty dramatic. It began when he was just nine years old, and was attacked by four men who held a knife to his neck in a raid on his father’s cash and carry store. That traumatic moment sparked an interest in crime that took him into data analytics, and eventually the founding of Quantexa – a tech firm that’s been used by major banks and international police to “find the bad guys”, rooting out fraud, money laundering and more. He’s built a company recently valued at 1 point 8 billion dollars, in just seven years.

To listen to the full interview click here.

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An art charity backed by Banksy, Tracey Emin and Gilbert & George is helping divert hundreds of young Londoners away from knife crime and serious violence every year - with creative disciplines from nail painting to podcasting.

Now, Art Against Knives has produced a report with civil rights group Liberty in the hope of finding what it describes as a “non-policing solution” to London’s tragic battle against rising knife crime, amid youth services ravaged by years of austerity and council cuts.

The project was founded by Oliver Hemsley, who as a 20-year-old Central St Martin’s student in 2008 was left paralysed and in a wheelchair after being stabbed in a random, unprovoked teen gang attack.

As part of his recovery, the promising fashion designer’s friends helped raise cash and secure donated artworks for auction from some of Britain’s biggest creative names - and Art Against Knives was born, co-founded with Hemsley's business partner Katy Dawe.

This episode was recorded in Barnet, a borough where Met data shows knife crime’s up over 20 per cent since last year.

We met the charity's chief executive Dr Sally Zlotowitz to discuss their work, their report with Liberty, young people’s perceptions of the police, plus the social impact of lockdowns and the cost of living crisis on young Londoners.

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Universal basic income is the levelling up trial that’s been getting some considerable attention.

Now, after projects testing the social welfare scheme in other parts of the world, two similar experiments for here in England are being drawn-up, one in north London’s East Finchley and the other in Jarrow, South Tyneside.

In the capital, it would see 15 participants given £1,600 per month for two years - just over £575,000 in total - in the hope it can help alleviate poverty for some of the worst-off Londoners so they can pursue studies and work.

The idea is that automatically giving trial participants the same amount of cash could also reduce the cost to taxpayers of running a complex means-tested benefits system.

But the controversial scheme’s critics say it’s costly, unproven and gives people money for nothing.

To find out more, The Leader podcast’s in East Finchley, where volunteers are working with the think-tank Autonomy to bring the scheme to life, subject to a considerable funding boost.

We’re at the Grange Big Local resident-led, lottery-funded community project, with Julia Hines, a board member and volunteer who’s helping facilitate the universal basic income trial.

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Apple says its eye-tracking Vision Pro mixed reality headset heralds the “era of spatial computing” to browse and game with a digitised version of the world overlaid onto actual reality.

The tech giant's boss Tim Cook promises the nearly £3,000 Mac for your face will “unlock experience like nothing we’ve ever seen” in a new metaverse.

But what are the risks to young minds from this increasingly immersive computing experience that cuts users off from the physical realm?

This episode of the Leader podcast sought out two psychologists expert in the impact of VR on child mental health. 

In part one, we’re joined by Dr Elena Martellozzo, associate professor of criminology at Middlesex University and associate director of the Centre for Abuse and Trauma Studies, who’s specialises in issues around online harm and is currently researching the metaverse.

Then in part two, we speak with Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, who researches children’s digital lives.

We discuss the impact of VR on the brain, harassment risks, gamification and how cooking can help children stay grounded in the real world.

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It’s day one for Prince Harry giving evidence in his claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror - the first British royal to give court testimony in more than 130 years.

This episode of the Leader podcast is brought to you, in part, from outside the Rolls Building of the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of London, where the Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Group Newspapers for damages.

He’s claiming journalists at its titles – which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception and use of private investigators for unlawful activities. MGN denies all allegations against it.

Revelations from Harry’s much-awaited witness box appearance at courtroom 15 and in his 55-page witness statement cover royal family members, the government and close friends as he continues a personal crusade against the tabloid media.

For the latest, plus the wider context of Harry’s multiple civil claims, we’re joined by Evening Standard courts correspondent Tristan Kirk.

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Thousands of London households are being hit with a fresh property squeeze as lenders hike interest rates again.

Now, according to financial data firm Moneyfacts, the average two-year fixed-rate mortgage deal costs £35 more per month than it did a couple of weeks ago, following successive Bank of England base rate rises.

It comes after TSB withdrew its ten-year fixed-rate, while Coventry Building Society is set to increase prices for two, three and five-year deals.

The hikes are being fuelled by inflation figures stuck stubbornly at 8.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, a record fifth of first-time buyers signed up to 35-year mortgages - so will be paying off property debt past retirement and into their 70s.

The Leader podcast’s joined by Dr Jeevun Sandher, who's head of economics at the New Economics Foundation and Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Loughborough.

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