City of London urged against business rates hikes to cover £70m shortfall Property The City of London Corporation has been warned that hiking business rates to cover its £70m budget shortfall would undermine the Square Mile’s global “competitiveness”. The local authority is weighing up whether to increase the business rates multiplier it charges businesses in the Square Mile, but a member of its finance committee has warned that [...]
Laila Cunningham: Sadiq Khan has failed Londoners, I will keep you safe Opinion Reform will put police officers back on our streets, restore effective stop and search, prioritise the prosecution of violent and sexual offenders, expand prison capacity and deport foreign criminals, says Laila Cunningham I spent years prosecuting criminals. I’ve stood in courtrooms, listened to victims and seen the devastation crime leaves behind. I thought I understood [...]
Khan climbdown: Palantir settles £50m Met row after fears of ‘unlawful’ bias Tech Palantir has settled its High Court battle with Sadiq Khan’s policing office over a blocked £50m Metropolitan Police contract, following concerns that the decision had been unlawfully influenced by the US tech giant’s values and ethics. City AM understands the company pursued legal action not only to challenge the decision, but also to make sure [...]
Palantir’s Tom Watson warns Labour against ‘mob rule’ on procurement October 9, 2026 Former Labour deputy leader and top Palantir executive Tom Watson has warned his party could face “trouble” if they bow to “mob rule” on procurement procedures. Lord Watson, who became a senior vice president at the US tech giant in September, said Palantir is “very targeted by the people that are targeting Israeli companies”. Watson [...]
Jeffrey Archer (1940-2026): A writer of fiction in all senses October 8, 2026 Following the death of novelist and former political Jeffrey Archer, Eliot Wilson looks back at a complicated life.
Met Police set to probe itself over ‘Putney Pusher’ suspect’s death September 25, 2026 The Metropolitan Police is set to probe its own handling of the arrest of the man, now dead, suspected of pushing a woman in front of a bus on Putney Bridge in 2017, after an assessment by the police watchdog. The police were referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the death [...]
Police shut exclusive Mayfair members’ club over possible gun offence September 25, 2026 Police have temporarily closed a Mayfair private members’ club, which has been visited by Sarah Ferguson, Kim Kardashian and Noel Gallagher, over a possible gun-related incident. The Metropolitan Police applied to Westminster City Council to suspend the license of Maison Estelle, which subsequently shut its doors on Tuesday. Police said reports of “serious crime, or [...]
Palantir policing pullback driven by funding as eastern pilot pushes on September 23, 2026 Palantir’s loss of a five-force policing pilot was driven by a combination of funding pressures and an assessment of the project, City AM understands. While the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) will end its two-year trial of Palantir’s Foundry software this month, the US tech firm’s work with a separate consortium of forces in [...]
City watchdog targets London crypto traders in latest clampdown September 18, 2026 The City watchdog has targeted three London premises suspected of illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading as it increases its scrutiny of digital assets. In a joint operation with HMRC and the Metropolitan Police, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said on Thursday it had issued three cease-and-desist letters to individuals trading through UK businesses, ordering them to [...]
Former Labour deputy joins Palantir as tech giant targets UK growth September 18, 2026 Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has joined Palantir as a senior vice president as the US tech firm looks to expand its work with the British government while facing mounting scrutiny over its public sector contracts. Watson, who served as an MP for 18 years and held ministerial roles under Gordon Brown, will work [...]