Starmer defends Burnham snub: ‘The fight is with Reform’ Politics Keir Starmer has defended a decision to block Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate to run as an MP in an upcoming by-election, claiming political resources should be allocated towards Labour’s “fight with Reform”. Less than a day after Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) – which Starmer is a member of – voted 8-1 [...]
Londoners don’t want Sadiq Khan to run for Mayor again Politics The majority of Londoners do not want Sadiq Khan to run for Mayor again in 2028, new polling has shown, with 56 per cent saying London is going in the wrong direction. A City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of London voters has shown that three in five of the capital’s residents believe that Khan should not [...]
Budget: ‘Tax on holidays’ slammed by Butlin’s boss hospitality The chief executive of Butlin’s has slammed Rachel Reeves for introducing a ‘tax on holidays’ in her Budget today. Jon Hendry Pickup has argued that “hospitality businesses like Butlin’s remain caught in the crossfire of the Chancellor’s tax and spend ideology”. The chief executive was reacting to the ‘tourism tax’ which has been welcomed by [...]
Sadiq Khan to blame for slump in London housing starts, think tank says October 17, 2025 Sadiq Khan is to blame for a dearth in housebuilding in London, a leading think tank has warned, as new construction projects slumped to their lowest level seen in years. A perfect storm of challenging macroeconomic conditions, needlessly stringent regulation and a sluggish planning process has helped push construction rates down to just 4,170 housing [...]
Tube strikes: Union leader says £72,000 salary is not enough September 10, 2025 RMT chief Eddie Dempsey has claimed that tube drivers on £72,000 a year were not making enough to buy a home in London, reflecting the union boss’ militant position on ongoing tube strikes. The union boss told Times Radio he made “no apologies” for the ongoing strike as he said the salary, which is around [...]
Sadiq Khan accused of avoiding public over tube strikes September 9, 2025 Sadiq Khan has been accused of hiding from the public amid ongoing tube strikes hitting Londoners and commuters, with costs on businesses projected to rise above £100m. The Mayor has faced heavy criticism over the lack of public comments made in response to the tube strikes, with union bosses holding firm on radical demands to [...]
No 10 backs ‘fed up’ Londoners in tube strikes row – as pressure grows on Khan September 8, 2025 No 10 has backed “fed up” Londoners hit by tube strikes on Monday as Mayor Sadiq Khan was urged to find a solution with the trade union RMT to end industrial action. People across the capital have been hit by strikes stopping services on the London Underground, with disruption to last until Friday. The prime [...]
Sadiq Khan backs calls to decriminalise cannabis possession May 28, 2025 A report commissioned by Sadiq Khan has called for decriminalising the possession of cannabis in small quantities, in a major policy pivot for City Hall. The London Drugs Commission, which was set up by the Mayor of London two years ago, argues that while the production and supply of cannabis should continue to “be policed [...]
Sadiq Khan’s green belt U-turn is an admission of failure on housing May 15, 2025 Sadiq Khan is spinning his plan to build on London’s green belt as a “radical change of approach”, but it’s nothing of the sort. It will have a very limited impact on housing starts during this mayoral term and may only add to the political heat around house building, says James Ford Margaret Thatcher famously [...]
Don’t abolish the Mayor, just get rid of Sadiq Khan April 24, 2025 The problem facing London is not the institution of the Mayor or the London Assembly that scrutinises him – it’s the incumbent, Sadiq Khan, says Neil Garratt Tony Lodge’s recent article in City AM questioning the value of London’s Mayoralty after 25 years provokes an important debate, but reaches the wrong conclusion. The problem facing [...]