Sadiq Khan refuses to ditch ULEZ expansion plan at London budget meeting February 23, 2023 Sadiq Khan has refused to ditch the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) today following a marathon five-hour meeting to agree London’s £19bn budget. London assembly members met today to agree the mayor’s plans for running the capital’s finances over the next year – including cash for the Met Police, TfL and firefighters. [...]
Law firms help drive record demand for London office space February 23, 2023 Law firms, accounting firms and consultancies acquired a record 2.5m sq ft of central London office space in 2022, following a boom in the professional services sector’s revenues. London’s top services firms took up 50 per cent more office space last year than in 2021, as the sector capitalised on an “unprecedented” surge in demand, [...]
UK tech firm numbers double in two years – with London start-up growth lower than nearly all other regions February 22, 2023 The number of newly-created UK tech firms is up by a fifth, with London marginally below the national average. There were 46,474 new tech companies created in Britain in 2022, up from 38,240 in 2021. Based on data from Companies House, the uptick in registrations of new firms is almost double that of 2020, when [...]
Four rebel Labour MPs reveal opposition to Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion plans February 15, 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand ULEZ has hit a further roadblock after four Labour MPs came out against the scheme. Seema Malhotra, Jon Cruddas, Siobhain McDonagh and Abena Oppong-Asare all told LBC they had concerns about the policy’s impact. Khan wants to extend the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) and the £12.50 daily charge [...]
Hunt must tackle worker shortage hobbling London’s economy, business groups warn February 13, 2023 London’s economy is being hamstrung by a chronic worker shortage that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt needs to tackle at the 15 March budget, a new report from Britain’s biggest business lobby groups highlighted today. Nearly two in three of the capital’s firms are struggling to fill vacancies, according to research carried out by BusinessLDN, Federation of [...]
Donatello at the V&A is a once in a lifetime chance to see a true genius February 10, 2023 “The greatest sculptor of all time” is a hefty title to live up to. “Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance” makes a hearty case for it in this expansive and thrilling exhibition. It’s curated in partnership with the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, which have [...]
FTSE 100 live: London index boosted by Shell ahead of today’s Bank of England rate decision February 2, 2023 The FTSE 100 opened higher on Thursday morning, boosted by a strong performance from Shell, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the Bank of England later today. Governor Andrew Bailey is expected to increase interest rates by 50bps to a post-financial crisis high of four per cent later today, although there is [...]
Cafe Koko: New Camden Pizza restaurant review January 31, 2023 Arriving in the evening, you can see the warm orange glow of Koko before you see the building itself. Taking up an entire block, the recently renovated, 122-year-old music hall once again sits at the heart of Camden, having closed in 2020 following a fire. The £70m refurbishment includes an extensive private members’ area with [...]
Minecraft makeover: This is what Sadiq Khan looks like with a perfectly square head January 26, 2023 Have you ever wondered what London’s long-standing mayor Sadiq Khan would look like with a perfectly square head? Now you can find out for sure after he was brought to life as a character in the video game Minecraft. With his grey hair, the faintest hint of 5 o’clock shadow and those kind, slightly sleepy [...]
London motorists hit with sharpest uptick in car insurance costs as UK premiums surge January 25, 2023 Motorists are now paying £100 more for car insurance than last year, according to new research which shows premiums have increased at their sharpest rate in six years. Car insurance premiums have increased 19 per cent over the past 12 months, meaning motorists now pay average sums of £629 to insure their vehicles, Confused.com’s Car [...]