Sadiq Khan’s pledge to crack down on Uber smacks of the worst of crony capitalism June 10, 2016 In the fight to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor of London, one thing that did not attract much attention was that both candidates attacked the ride-sharing app Uber. Sadiq Khan did so first, threatening a crack-down on the service in response to a black cab driver who called into a radio show, and Zac Goldsmith, no profile [...]
Map: Here are the areas where you can now order Amazon Fresh food and groceries in the UK June 9, 2016 Amazon Fresh is finally here. Now you can turn to the online retailer not just for books, clothes, the latest tech, and a million other things, but for fresh food too. That means fresh fruit, meat, seafood, veg, dairy and baked goods, and more, just like any other supermarket's home delivery service, along with other store cupboard goods [...]
The ArcelorMittal Orbit slide in London’s Olympic Park has been completed June 9, 2016 The final piece of the ArcelorMittal Orbit slide has been added today, meaning it's ready for action. The slide, in the Olympic Park in east London, is the longest and tallest tunnel slide in Europe, measuring 178 metres. It comprises of 30 pieces, the last of which was lifted into place today. The giant helter-skelter winds around the [...]
Sadiq Khan’s key campaign pledge hits the buffers June 9, 2016 Shouting was never Zac Goldsmith’s style but if he were moved to raise his voice it would probably be at the revelation that his former opponent (and new mayor of London) has already abandoned a key campaign pledge. Sadiq Khan hasn’t just distanced himself from a flagship promise to freeze rail fares; he’s practically forgotten that [...]
Amazon rolls out fresh food service for paying, east London members June 9, 2016 US online retailer Amazon has today launched its fresh food delivery service in central and east London. The service is further restricted to Amazon’s Prime members, who pay a £79 per year fee for various TV and music streaming services and free delivery on certain items. Amazon, after taking significant market share from many of [...]
Don’t believe the myth that Londoners oppose a vital new runway at Heathrow June 9, 2016 As MPs from different parties representing different parts of London, it’s not often we find ourselves unambiguously agreeing. But it is clear that to seize the opportunity for Londoners that comes from being at the heart of the global economy, we urgently need a government decision on airport capacity. And we need it to be [...]
Sadiq Khan won’t improve life for London’s renters by wrapping buy-to-let landlords in red tape June 8, 2016 A “referendum on housing.” That was how Sadiq Khan described the London mayoral contest. Access to housing that Londoners can afford is certainly critical to the future success of the capital, and at the heart of the mayor’s plans are substantial reforms to private rented property. As the voice of private landlords, we welcome debate about [...]
London leads with 18 per cent share of the country’s micro-businesses June 8, 2016 London has been found to be a so-called micro-business hotspot, accounting for almost a fifth of the UK’s businesses with fewer than nine employees. There were found to be 2.17m micro-businesses across the UK, research from Direct Line has revealed, with the South East of England and London making up a whopping 700,000 of them. [...]
Every little helps: Tesco to sell Giraffe chain and Turkish interests in bid to offload underperforming assets June 7, 2016 Britain's biggest supermarket chain Tesco is set to sell its Kipa chain in Turkey and Giraffe restaurants in the UK. The sale of Kipa, that Tesco acquired in 2013, is likely to raise "a couple of hundred million pounds", an analyst told Sky News, while an unnamed family-owned investment group is interested in snapping up Giraffe. Tesco bought Giraffe [...]
Storms in London leave cars in South London submerged in two metres of water with rush hour delays on way for Southern Railway June 7, 2016 Stormy weather in London this afternoon has led to flash flooding in the south east of the city, leading to floods and causing travel disruption in the area. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called out to attend a number of flooding and lightning strike calls in Wallington, Mitcham and Croydon this afternoon. Meanwhile, the London [...]