By: James Ford

James Ford is a former adviser to Mayor of London Boris Johnson, specialising in transport, environment and technology policy. He subsequently advised several blue-chip companies in the capital including London City Airport, the Ministry of Sound and the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He has appeared on LBC and writes regularly for Conservative Home.

All 41 Articles

You don’t have to be a chav to lead the Labour Party, but it helps!

Opinion

Rather than a grand battle of big ideas or a serious debate about why this government has blundered so much, Labour’s looming leadership contest looks set to be a depressing competition to see who had the grimmest childhood, laments James Ford Did your dad have a blue-collar job? Did you live in social housing? Did [...]
Why do lefties struggle to pay their taxes?

Opinion

Zack Polanski is just the latest in a long line of leftwingers to find himself embroiled in a financial scandal, explains James Ford Zack Polanski has been a naughty boy. No, I’m not referring to his recent dressing down by the Commissioner of the Met. Or even to the latest allegations that he has been [...]
What to look out for in London’s local elections

Opinion

With more parties and more candidates than ever before, next week’s local elections across London are the most unpredictable for a generation, argues James Ford On 7 May, Londoners go to the polls to elect the councillors that will run the capital’s 32 borough councils. More than 1,800 council seats are up for election, alongside [...]

Lord Khan of Tooting? Sounds like a great idea to me!

April 23, 2026

It is time that our failing Mayor moved on to challenges new, argues James Ford Our illustrious Prime Minister is rumoured to be considering raising the Mayor of London to the House of Lords, possibly as soon as next month. There may even be a seat around the Cabinet Table in the offing too. I, [...]
Make foreign tourists pay to keep museums free for Londoners

April 2, 2026

Free museum entry isn’t the feel-good policy you think it is. Time to charge foreigners and keep our precious collections free for Londoners, says James Ford Is the idea of charging foreign tourists for access to major museums and art galleries really that radical a proposal? Judging by the reaction from some corners of the [...]
A Requiem for the Boris Bus

March 19, 2026

Sadiq Khan’s decision to scrap the iconic ‘New Bus for London’ is about politics not practicalities, writes James Ford London’s fleet of red buses are iconic. Like black taxis, Beefeaters and red post boxes they are a globally recognised visual shorthand for the capital. And, for better or worse, Mayors of London come to be [...]
How sectarian is London’s politics?

March 5, 2026

If the by-election in Gorton and Denton is a seismic event, then the aftershocks will be felt by Londoners in borough elections across the capital in May, writes James Ford By-elections are often exceptional, aberrant outliers from normal politics. The full attention of party campaign strategists and the national press are ruthlessly trained on a [...]
London cable car proves Britain can still get infrastructure right – sometimes

March 3, 2026

A proposed floating park in the Royal Docks finally proves the value – and vision – of the London Cable Car, argues James Ford Here is a question you probably rarely ask yourself: what is your favourite bit of transport infrastructure in the capital? Is it the Regent Street Monorail? Maybe you prefer travelling between [...]
£40bn to restore Parliament? Maybe Guy Fawkes had the right idea…

February 25, 2026

The reported £40bn cost of refurbishing the Palace of Westminster is not a serious proposal – it’s a distraction designed to outrage, writes James Ford We are all familiar with the Goldilocks principle of restaurant wine lists. Every wine list is part marketing ploy, part social gauntlet and pure psychological trickery. It is designed to [...]
Women-only Tube carriages are a terrible, unworkable idea

February 5, 2026

Sex offences on public transport in London are soaring, but the solution is better policing and security across the network not voluntary gender segregation, argues James Ford Harold Macmillan, in a speech in 1961, said that the Liberals (as they were still then called) “offer a mixture of sound and original ideas…unfortunately none of the [...]

‘We cannot regulate cyber threats away,’ top lawyer warns

Championship play-off final: Hull or Middlesbrough stand to gain £200m

Heatwave ready! 9 best rooftop bars in Soho and Covent Garden

By: James Ford

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