West End landlord Shaftesbury braced for court row with tycoon shareholder May 2, 2019 A bitter row between a major London landlord and one of its largest shareholders has descended into threats of legal action this morning. FTSE 250 property giant Shaftesbury Group, which owns large parts of the West End including much of Carnaby Street and Chinatown, is braced for a court battle with Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee [...]
Londoners are torn over City’s new Tulip skyscraper in new ranking of London landmarks May 2, 2019 It may be the latest major City building to be clubbed through by planning authorities, but Londoners are split on the the Tulip skyscraper, new research shows, as St Paul’s was named the most popular building in the capital. A survey by Yougov found that 37 per cent of people believe the Tulip will improve [...]
London Underground staff to stage three-day Tube strike over FA Cup final weekend May 2, 2019 London Underground staff are preparing to stage a three-day strike over the weekend of the FA cup final over safety concerns. Engineering and maintenance members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) at depots across Greater London have voted to not book on for any shifts between 17 May to 20 May over cuts [...]
From Bercow to Corbyn, Trump’s UK visit has exposed a nest of political hypocrites May 2, 2019 No sooner had the announcement been made that President Donald Trump would be making a state visit to the UK in June than a predictable flurry of criticism emerged from a group of the usual suspects. Leading this crowd of dissenters who have said that they will refuse to attend a state dinner with our [...]
It’s time to stop arguing about expanding Heathrow – and get building May 2, 2019 Thankfully for the UK economy, the High Court yesterday quashed a challenge brought against the government’s decision to expand Heathrow Airport. No one questions the need for scrutiny. Indeed, detailed consideration for how to manage the impact of the expansion on local people – which for some will be significant – lies ahead through the [...]
Europe’s development banks lured into new Canary Wharf HQ May 1, 2019 Canary Wharf landed a major financial tenant today, as Europe’s development bank shifted its new HQ to the business district in a post-Brexit commitment to the capital. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is set to take more than 360,000 square feet (sq ft) at 1-5 Bank Street, moving its headquarters from Exchange [...]
London councils give ice cream vans the cold shoulder in pollution crackdown May 1, 2019 Bad news, Londoners – just as the weather warms up it appears ice cream vans could be banned from some of the capital's boroughs this summer over air pollution fears. Camden and Westminster councils are taking a range of measures to restrict the operation of the vans in an effort to reduce pollution levels on [...]
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange given 50 weeks in prison for skipping bail May 1, 2019 Julian Assange was this morning sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail by hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years. Read more: MPs urge government to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden The Wikileaks founder entered the embassy in 2012, when facing an extradition order to Sweden over allegations of attempted rape. [...]
Prepare for take off: Heathrow airport expansion cleared by High Court May 1, 2019 The government today won a legal battle that had sought to stop its proposed £14bn expansion of Heathrow Airport. Read more: Revenue dips at Heathrow despite record passenger numbers Campaigners trying to block a third runway at the UK's biggest airport lost the High Court challenge after the court found that transport secretary Chris Grayling's airport national policy [...]
Extinction Rebellion hates capitalism, but these climate change protesters wouldn’t exist without it May 1, 2019 The Extinction Rebellion protesters on the streets of London seemed to consist of two disparate interest groups: pensioners and the young. Their shared connection is that most of them – certainly in the former group – seemed to be affluent. An identical alliance was observed a few months ago in the rather unlikely setting of the [...]