The Standard

In the second episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin asks the question:What does clean really mean?The River Thames is healthier than it was decades ago, with wildlife returning to parts of the river once declared biologically dead. But beneath the surface, the picture is far more complicated.In this episode, Lucy speaks to scientists, campaigners and conservationists about how river health is measured.From real-time sewage maps and wet wipe pollution to seahorses, porpoises and harbour seals, we discover that a healthy Thames isn't necessarily a pristine one — it's a living, thriving ecosystem.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: We go inside Abbey Mills pumping station — London's historic "Poo Palace" — to explore the Victorian engineering miracle that transformed the capital and still carries its waste more than 150 years later.We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered.

In the first episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin asks the question:How healthy is the Thames today?Since being declared biologically dead in the mid-20th century, we explore the state of the Thames today, and who and what will impact its future.We examine the role of Thames Water, the impact of climate change and population growth, the importance of the river’s tributaries and ecosystems, and whether major projects like London’s £5 billion “super sewer” - the Tideway Tunnel - can help secure the river’s future.As the debate over Britain's waterways intensifies, this episode sets the scene for a series exploring one of the country's most important rivers—and everything that depends on it.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: What exactly is in the Thames? We investigate the pollutants, runoff and hidden contaminants affecting river health, and ask what "clean water" really means.We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered.

The government is considering dropping juries for certain criminal cases in an attempt to reduce court backlogs. Will this move undermine British justice?In this bumper episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to a vocal opponent to the plans, Geoffrey Robertson KC, former judge and founder of Doughty Street Chambers, where Keir Starmer, David Lammy and Attorney General Richard Herman have all practised. She also hears from criminal barrister and Vice Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Andrew Thomas KC, who both prosecutes and defends for the Crown, for his view on whether the British justice system needs as many juries.Photograph: Getty Images

Londoners will head to the polls next week to choose their local councillors. Since 2021, Labour has held the majority across the capital, but new polling suggests that even Sir Keir Starmer’s local borough of Camden may fall to the Greens.In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to Tony Travers, a professor in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics about the results of the latest London council election poll by JL Partners for LSE. They discuss possible outcomes for the upcoming elections, including which parties might join forces, and the messages Londoners may send to Westminster through the ballot box.

This week, many Londoners will gain new powers as the Renters' Rights Act comes into force. So what do tenants and landlords need to know?In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to The Standard’s Homes & Property editor, Prudence Ivey, about the upcoming changes to rental agreements. The two discuss what renters should look out for in the small print, whether the new bill might inadvertently cause a housing shortage, as well as consider if the bill is enough to convince Londoners to vote for Labour in the upcoming council elections.Photograph: Getty Images

It’s wisteria season — and flower-filled streets in Notting Hill and Kensington have become littered with visitors keen to take a picture in front of pastel coloured houses, with the viral flowers in shot. In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to Standard journalist Niva Yadav, to discuss whether it is fair to take pictures of people’s homes, and whether security measures will be taken to curb the anti-social behaviour of some wisteria enthusiasts in London.Clips: Universal Pictures, ITV News (Faye Barker)

The repeated attacks on Jewish infrastructure over the past few weeks has led to the opening of a Met police counter terrorism investigation into whether the events are linked. In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to Jonathan Hall KC, the senior barrister responsible for reviewing the UK government’s terrorism and state threats legislation. The two discuss how the law distinguishes hate crimes from terrorist acts, why the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military wing of the Iranian regime, is not currently proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK government, and whether the normalising of extremism is more worrying than extremism itself.

Small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for 99.9% of the UK’s 5.7 million new companies last year. So what does it really take to build a business from scratch today, and how easy is it to secure funding?In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick sits down with Raphael Sofoluke, the founder of the UK Black Business Show and UK Black Business Week, and Izzy Obeng, the founder and CEO of Foundervine. Both guests are on the judging panel for the AXA Startup Angel Competition from AXA Business Insurance - in partnership with the Standard - and in a couple of months they will select impressive entrepreneurs to win top prizes, including £25,000, expert mentoring, plus business insurance for a year. Together, they discuss what it takes to be a founder, including the most common mistakes, tips on how to impress investors, and how to build a supportive business network that pays dividends in the long run.Competition entries close on 21 June 2026. For more information and to enter this year's AXA startup Angel competition, visit https://axastartupangel.standard.co.uk/

London is about to be brought to a standstill as a result of planned tube strikes. So why have TFL and the RMT not reached a deal, and will the disruption change how Londoners vote in upcoming council elections?In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick speaks to Standard journalist, Megan Howe, for a detailed breakdown of all how the strikes will affect Londoners, as well as the deal that sparked the tube strikes. Plus, Tamara also speaks to The Standard’s political editor, Nic Cecil, for his insights on the position politicians across the party spectrum are taking on the tube worker’s strikes, and to what extent the strikes will impact the upcoming local council election results.