The Evening Standard’s Winter Survival campaign has broken the £1 million barrier, thanks to a £500,000 donation from Sainsbury’s. This money will go towards tackling rising food insecurity in London and across the UK, and matches the amount given by our partner, Comic Relief.
Britain is a rich nation and the capital its economic engine, yet even before the cost-of-living crisis, hunger was a daily reality for many. To that end, Sainsbury’s generous donation will be split between the Felix Project and Fareshare. The first is the largest surplus food distributor in London, the second the biggest in the UK. This money will support both to supply the equivalent of 1.5 million meals for those living in food poverty.
This is testament to their hard work but also demonstrates the scale of the crisis. If you are able, make your own donation at comicrelief.com/wintersurvival
Royal revelations?
If you don’t consider being a senior royal a proper job, you haven’t watched the monarch deliver the King’s Speech, or pored over Princess Anne’s daily list of engagements. There are perks to the position, of course — the odd palace and tickets to football tournaments. But these are contingent on duty.
By leaving Britain and announcing their decision to “step back” from the royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made a choice that they consider best for themselves and their young family. They are no less entitled to that than the average commoner.
But what of Endgame? This is the new book by Omid Scobie, interviewed in today’s newspaper, that seeks to shed light on what the author calls the royal family’s “fight for survival”. Hyperbole is the last refuge of any writer, but the reader can decide for themselves whether Scobie, who denies accusations of bias, is a reliable narrator.
That the royal family may be “flawed” is hardly breaking news for anyone living in this country. Scobie could perhaps think of a better line, perhaps even fresher sources.
Lead the charge
When it comes to environmental policy, the sticks, such as the ultra low emission zone, consume the lion’s share of the oxygen. But there are plenty of carrots to go around.
CIty Hall is releasing land for development of five more ultra-rapid charging hubs across London, to make it even easier for drivers to go electric. There are more than 18,000 charging points of all speeds across London but the reality is we need many more, a demand at the heart of the Standard’s Plug It In Campaign.
The capital is on the precipice of an electric revolution — policymakers and manufacturers must put the pedal to the metal.
