Thousands march in London to show support for refugees September 17, 2016 Thousands of people have attended a march in London today to urge the government to allow more migrants into the country. The march – "Refugees Welcome" – was joined by groups such as Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children and Oxfam. Together, we can #savechildrefugees. Such an incredible turnout in London today to [...]
Five things we learned about Mark Carney when schoolchildren grilled him on live TV September 16, 2016 Bank of England governor Mark Carney is used to being grilled by journalists, but today he faced questions from schoolchildren and they didn't pull their punches. The children were putting the Canadian on the spot as part of a Q&A session hosted on the BBC. Jay, 13, went straight for the jugular, asking Carney: "Who is easier to work [...]
Travel chaos as heavy rain brings abrupt end to heatwave and causes a train to derail near Watford Junction. Oh, and there’s a Circle Line strike September 16, 2016 A London Midland train derailed near Watford Junction today as the UK's train lines were plunged into chaos after the recent heatwave came to an abrupt end with floods, thunderstorms and hail. Virgin Trains said the service had hit a landslide, causing it to strike another train and derail – but no injuries were reported. However, it did [...]
Mayor of London slammed over RMT union’s planned Tube strikes on Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines September 15, 2016 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been slammed today over his lack of response to a Tube strike planned by drivers on the Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines, due to start tonight. The RMT union said this morning that, following an "overwhelming vote for action" by drivers who are union members, 24 hours of strike [...]
Shooting the messenger: Rent controls have always and everywhere ended in failure September 14, 2016 Rent controls are back on the political agenda. Their reintroduction is now official Labour Party policy, and the Conservatives will probably follow with a somewhat milder version in due course. It is easy to see why: according to a recent Survation poll, two thirds of the public support rent controls, with most of the remaining [...]
The Green Belt is standing between young people and the homes they need September 14, 2016 Imagine a race in which the finishing line moved further away, faster than you could run. Rigged against you, no matter how hard you tried, the finish line would always move faster. That’s the housing market in London and the South East for most young people, where the dream of homeownership remains just that, a [...]
Sadiq Khan has vowed to push ahead with a housing plan his critics call “unrealistic” and “needlessly complex” September 14, 2016 Sadiq Khan has defended plans to sell off Transport for London land at reduced rates, claiming the approach “does right by London”, despite claims the plans are “unrealistic” and “needlessly complex”. Khan is set to press ahead with the sale of one patch of land at Kidbrooke in Greenwich, despite warnings his affordable housing requirements [...]
TfL warns Hammersmith & City and Circle Line workers to go on strike Today and Friday September 14, 2016 Transport for London (TfL) has warned Londoners that there may be a strike on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines today and tomorrow. Some drivers on these two lines who are RMT union members are currently planning to strike from 21:30 on Thursday 15 September for 24 hours, TfL said. which will see some drivers not book [...]
The Mayor of London has opted to protect privilege not competition September 14, 2016 Sadiq Khan’s crackdown on London’s private hire industry is a sop to a privileged monopoly that distorts competitive markets and fails to defend consumer interests. As private hire services make inroads into London’s black cab monopoly, the case to protect them from decline and enforce consumer safety may sound reasonable. But Khan’s reforms go beyond safety and are [...]
A shortage of land could kill off London’s e-commerce revolution September 13, 2016 Recent reports that Amazon is set to test drone deliveries in partnership with the UK government is just the latest salvo in the fiercely contested battle between the e-commerce giants that are transforming the way we shop. The move also demonstrates the challenges of a constantly evolving logistics sector. City A.M. readers are at the [...]