Five-year deal only worth it if Blues give Enzo time

THE last Chelsea manager to survive five years at Stamford Bridge was Dave Sexton.

Royal Mail agrees £3.6bn takeover by Czech tycoon

ROYAL MAIL is heading for foreign ownership for the first time in its 508year history after its parent company accepted a £3.6 billion takeover bid, but questions remain over the institution's status as the UK's universal postal service provider beyond 2029.

How to build a dream home from scratch

Architect Will Burges thought he ought to get on with his self-build ambition now his genius family home in Crystal Palace has been named as Riba London Small Project of the Year. He tells Cat Olley how it came together

Non-dom tax reform plan hits prime prices

Prime Central London property prices are expected to fall one per cent this year, instead of the one per cent rise predicted in January. Knight Frank has revised its forecast due to a deterioration in demand for the capital's most expensive homes.

Meet the Londoners moving to the hot new regeneration zones

The postcodes may not be fashionable, but after huge investment some areas are on the rise. Charlotte Duck talks to people flocking to the capital’s developments

Andy Murray's swansong has something to teach us

○NLY two players ever got close to breaking up the hegemony of the big three of men's tennis: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Gyms are one of life’s joys, so why are many of those who use them truly awful?

I'M not being funny but...why does this world have so many overprivileged w****rs? Hear me out! I've been hitting the gym hard these past few months and I love it.

This is exactly how not to do national service

THE idea of some sort of national service to meet the challenges and threats of the times has been kicking around for some time. Service chiefs have been looking at conscription and concepts such as \"total defence\" by Finland's citizen soldiers - but none of them would work for the UK's security needs and social and political complexity.

Club Wembley? Mate, it's just Soho House for diehard footy fans

AT half-time, my friend Steve got talking to the couple sitting next to us. We four were sharing a table at the Laurent Perrier lounge at Wembley Stadium, a light-filled, open bar that feels like the parts of Heathrow Airport that get you hyped up to travel (Bloody Marys at Spuntino) rather than those that plunge you sordidly into a state of distress (any chaotic Spoons).

This might just be the world’s most beautiful pub

The Hero, Maida Vale 55 Shirland Road, W9 2JUD. Meal for two plus drinks and service, about 130. Open Monday to Thursday, noon-11.30, Friday and Saturday, till midnight, Sunday till 10pm); theherow9.com

Family blame watch robbers for beautiful son’ taking his own life

THE parents of a watch dealer found dead a day after being attacked by robbers today said they believed he took his own life \"due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident\".

Rafah air strike did not violate US red line’

White House says Israeli targeting of Hamas was precise’ but deaths horrific’

Sandwich service in Cornwall... but Sunak under fire for hitting region

RISHI SUNAK handed out bacon butties after taking the sleeper train to Cornwall - and immediately ran into criticism that his plan to restore national service would cost the region more than £70 million.

How many exclusions from school are for sexist abuse? We haven’ta clue

Evening Standard demands a shake-up with new offence category of sexist abuse’

The moment you leave your home the boys treat you as fair game

The macho classroom culture created by male pupils can have a devastating effect on teenage girls.

Truth about boys, porn and how they talk about girls

THE nine teenage boys aged 13 to 15 sat joking and laughing in their south London classroom, their joshing belying a nervousness, trying to gauge how honest they should be.

'London would never have been as much fun without its queer community'

DONATELLA VERSACE has said it is vital to \"respect and protect\" the capital's LGBTQIA+ community which is \"so much part of what makes London so special\".

Water firm sewage polluters will face criminal charges’

THAMES Water bosses who allow sewage to be pumped into London's rivers will face \"criminal charges\" under hardline Labour plans to clean up Britain's waterways.

Abbott: I am being banned from standing as a Labour MP

DIANE ABBOTT told today that she was being banned from standing as a Labour MP.

Palace co-owner eyes Everton move

CRYSTAL PALACE part-owner John Textor is said to be the front-runner to buy Farhad Moshiri's majority stake in Everton.

Cup-winner Ten Hag on tenterhooks as United owners look at De Zerbi

MANCHESTER UNITED are continuing to sound out potential new managers, as Erik ten Hag faces an anxious wait to find out whether he will keep his job after Saturday's FA Cup triumph.

CHELSEA PUSH TO TIE UP QUICK MARESCA DEAL

CLUB OFFICIALS MEETING FOXES BOSS IN MARBELLA FOR TALKS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT

Farewell performance? Not yet, but the Nadal show is nearing its finale

THIS was the beginning of the end, rather than a finite end itself for Rafael Nadal.

Cup win can’t put gloss on woeful season... and Ten Hag must pay price

United have gone backwards, so decision should be easy for chiefs

Buoyant M&S to invest 30m in revamping London stores

MARKS & SPENCER is to invest another £30 million in its London stores over the next year, including the opening of two new foodhalls and the creation of 100 new jobs.

Revolution rejects unworkable’ rescue deal

STRUGGLING nightlife operator Revolution Bars has rejected a rescue deal from rival Nightcap, arguing the \"highly speculative\" offer is \"incapable of being delivered\".

WorldFirst faces tribunal over harassment claim

AN employee of billionaire Jack Ma-owned WorldFirst is taking it to an industrial tribunal over claims of harassment and discrimination after the London fintech was contacted by the information regulator over issues with data practices, the Standard can reveal.

Forget the election, this summer is about one thing only: big Lesbian Energy

AT a dinner this week in honour of the 15th anniversary of the handsome and enduring music paper, Beat, I noticed the prevalent subject of conversation turned out to be lesbians.

Anti-cyclist rhetoric costs lives: stop it now

MY dad, Keith, is 86 and having a bit of bother walking, even short distances.

Bluntly speaking, Rishi's plan for national service isn't all bad

RISHI SUNAK'S announcement of national service for 18-yearolds faced a torrent of criticism and ridicule over the weekend, but at least singer and former army man James Blunt is riding to his rescue.