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.

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No air conditioning on the Tube? Blame Sadiq Khan

Opinion

You could be riding in new, air conditioned trains on the Piccadilly Line and DLR but City Hall has botched their introduction. James Ford is getting hot under the collar... Do you find the tube to be oppressively hot in the summer and unbearable in a heatwave? Ever found yourself sweating on the Central Line? [...]
Why English literature graduates shouldn’t be Prime Minister

Opinion

Andy Burnham is set to be the first ever English Literature graduate to serve as Prime Minister. James Ford is very concerned I have a problem with Andy Burnham. It isn’t his litany of U-turns and policy flip flops. It isn’t that he wears a t-shirt with a suit (a bad look on anyone, but [...]
Is ‘Stop Reform’ now the most powerful force in UK politics?

Opinion

They may be dominating all the opinion polls, but have Reform hit a wall? James Ford considers if the party has peaked. Something is going very badly wrong for Reform UK. They are supposed to be the next big thing. The coming men. The heirs apparent. The real opposition. Yet, while they still top every [...]

Why are so many people abandoning sex toys on the Tube?

June 11, 2026

Last year the number of bedroom gadgets found on the transport network increased by 30 per cent. James Ford has some questions… There is a moment every year that I look forward to. Not, perhaps, as much as Christmas….but it’s close. It is, of course, the moment when some bored journalist at the Evening Standard [...]
Soho killjoys are the worst kind of Londoners

June 4, 2026

The Soho Society has declared a Nimby campaign against all new licensing applications. If they don’t want to live in the party centre of London they should leave, says James Ford What is the collective noun for a bunch of party poopers? A kennel of killjoys? A complaint of curmudgeons, perhaps? Well, if left to [...]
A good deal on the London Stadium was never an option

May 28, 2026

In securing a future for the London Stadium, the choice was never a great deal versus a bad deal, but between any deal or no deal at all.
You don’t have to be a chav to lead the Labour Party, but it helps!

May 21, 2026

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?

May 14, 2026

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

April 30, 2026

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, [...]

The devastating prognosis for the UK’s public finances

Miami heat: Why climate could be key in 40C England v Norway World Cup quarter-final

I was on the Goodyear blimp above London – here’s what it was like

By: James Ford

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