The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

 finance. In October 2009 the paper ended a 180-year history of paid circulation

Newspaper circulation

A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...

 and became a free giveaway, doubling its circulation as part of a change in its business plan.
The newspaper was founded by the barrister, Stanley Lees Giffard

Stanley Lees Giffard

Stanley Lees Giffard was founder and first editor of a London newspaper, The Standard.Stanley Lees Giffard was brought up in Ireland, the son of John Giffard and Sarah Morton of Dromartin Castle...

, on 21 May 1827, as the Standard.