Reeves opens door for mayors to impose ‘damaging’ tourist tax November 25, 2025 Mayors in England are set to be given new powers to levy a tourist tax on visitors to fund local projects under a new policy. Reeves will give mayors the ability to impose a “modest” charge on visitors staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses and holiday lets through the English Devolution and Community [...]
London is getting the wrong new railway November 25, 2025 The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Thamesmead is the wrong railway, at the wrong price, for all the wrong political reasons, argues James Ford Ooops. Rachel Reeves is about to shoot herself in the foot. Again. I thought about keeping quiet about this imminent act of self-harm. Afterall, not only did Napoleon counsel that [...]
Reeves to give go-ahead to DLR Thamesmead extension at Budget November 20, 2025 Rachel Reeves is set to give the green light to a proposal to extend the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead in a major expansion of London’s transport network. The move, which would mark the first extension to a London train line since the Overground extension to Barking Riverside in July 2022, promises to create 10,000 [...]
Reeves to put brakes on Cycle to Work scheme in blow to City November 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves could slam the brakes on the Cycle to Work scheme at the upcoming Budget in a blow to City commuters, it has been reported. The Chancellor is expected to cut tax benefits on salary sacrifice schemes, including in the buying of expensive bikes, according to a report in the Financial Times. “Cycle [...]
Sadiq Khan is no Zohran Mamdani November 13, 2025 Mamdani is a young, rising star with no record to defend. By 2028, Sadiq Khan will have been Mayor of London for 12 years and spent a decade in Parliament before that. With his record at City Hall, Khan will need to offer more than the vague promise of ‘hope’, says James Ford Last week [...]
London set for new 15,000-capacity arena in boost for capital November 10, 2025 The capital is set to gain a 15,000-capacity basketball arena after studies surrounding a new stadium for the London Lions concluded their opening phase. The custom-built, multi-purpose stadium could stage as many as 40 basketball games per season as well as hundreds of cultural events. A London Lions feasibility study conducted in conjunction with The [...]
Top New York investor offers to work with Zohran Mamdani November 5, 2025 One of New York’s most renowned investors struck a conciliatory tone with the city’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, having donated over $1m to rival candidates during the campaign. Bill Ackman congratulated the Democratic socialist on his victory in a post on X and said: “Now you have a big responsibility. If I can help [...]
London should be the engine that saves us from decline November 3, 2025 We should be proud of our great city, but also clear-eyed about its failings on housing, crime and the cost of living, says Lawrence Newport London is like nowhere else on earth. As Matt Clifford said last week at Looking For Growth’s event Make or Break, London is the city that birthed the electrical age, [...]
Mayor Polanski? It’s more likely than you think… October 30, 2025 With their polling surging and their membership growing rapidly, the Green Party could be contenders to take control of City Hill in 2028, argues James Ford The Green Party are having a moment. In the few weeks since their feisty new leader, Zack Polanski AM, was elected, the Greens have been making waves. Party membership [...]
Labour is finding that renationalising rail doesn’t make trains come on time October 22, 2025 Since returning to public ownership, delays and cancellations on our commuter trains have got worse, not better. So why is Labour doubling down? Asks Thomas Turrell When Labour took South Western Railway into public ownership earlier this year, they promised passengers a new era of punctuality, reliability and accountability. They have failed. Within just a [...]