Wetherspoon boss blasts Soho’s ‘barmy’ vertical drinking crackdown Hospitality JD Wetherspoon boss Sir Tim Martin has blasted Westminster Council’s “barmy” curbs on vertical drinking, which he said are “inhibiting business”. Martin, the chairman of Britain’s best-known pub chain, has waded into a row over the Council’s restrictions on so-called “vertical drinking” in Soho and an effective ban on new pubs and bars in the [...]
Sadiq Khan ready to discuss ‘any credible proposal’ from West Ham for London Stadium Sport Business Mayor Sadiq Khan has invited a bid from West Ham United to buy the London Stadium, saying he “would consider any credible proposal” to offload the publicly subsidised venue. Lord Khan also talked up “recent improvements” in relations between the East London club and the GLA-owned stadium operator – an apparent nod to the growing [...]
Sadiq Khan’s plan for London housing is detached from reality Opinion Sadiq Khan’s draft London plan will not deliver the housing or infrastructure London badly needs, says Thomas Turrell “Reality can be whatever I want it to be”. The words spoken by Thanos as he claimed the reality stone in‘Avengers: Infinity War. This quote seems to have formed the foundation of Sadiq Khan’s approach to the [...]
Reform’s London mayor pick: I want to design London like an iPhone September 16, 2026 Londoners are steadily finding out who will be on the ballot sheet for the next mayoral election in 2028. Mauricio Alencar spoke to Reform UK’s candidate Laila Cunningham about her tunnel-vision approach to getting things done. Laila Cunningham has a simple pitch to Londoners. While, for the moment, it looks like Labour and the Tories [...]
Labour calls for Mayor to explore London Stadium sale to West Ham September 2, 2026 Labour have called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to explore selling the London Stadium to West Ham United. Labour assembly member Bassam Mahfouz has written to Lord Khan urging him to relieve the London taxpayer of the £1.75bn burden of the existing deal between City Hall and the Championship football stadium. The long-term tenancy agreed by [...]
Cleverly announces bid to run for London mayor August 29, 2026 James Cleverly has quit from Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet in order to launch his bid to run for mayor of London. Cleverly, who was the shadow housing and local government secretary, said he would put himself forward for the Conservatives’ candidacy for London mayor. He said the capital needed someone who “is prepared to fight [...]
Burnham to hand mayors power to overrule local councils’ planning decisions August 23, 2026 Andy Burnham will give mayors across the UK new powers to overrule planning decisions made by local councils and to greenlight large-scale developments. The prime minister will unveil proposals this week to give regional mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, and the West Midlands, powers to take over planning decisions as well as direct [...]
No 10 backs ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho pubs August 7, 2026 Downing Street has waded into the debate over so-called “vertical drinking” and called on Westminster City Council to “work with” the industry to maintain the culture of pints outside London pubs. “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs,” [...]
Sadiq Khan urges tougher Ofcom action as UK prepares social media ban rules July 14, 2026 Sadiq Khan has called on social media companies to change algorithms that promote violent and misogynistic material, as London launches a £5m programme to tackle the effect of online harms on young people. The mayor of London also believes the state should be ready to intervene where platforms cannot or will not change their recommendation [...]
Exclusive: London in talks to host return of sumo at Royal Albert Hall June 18, 2026 Sumo wrestling could return to the Royal Albert Hall by the end of the decade as talks between London and Tokyo edge towards a deal, City AM can reveal. London Mayor Sadiq Khan met the Japan Sumo Association in Tokyo this week following on from last year’s give-day Basho at the iconic Kensington arena. It [...]