More than 2,000 TfL bus drivers have caught Covid-19 since October March 17, 2021 More than 2,000 Transport for London (TfL) bus drivers contracted Covid-19 in the four months between October and January, new data from the operator has shown. According to figures collected from the contractors which run the capital’s bus services, 2,017 of around 25,000 drivers caught the virus in that period. The operator only started collecting [...]
Government plans to change mayor of London elections to First Past the Post March 16, 2021 The government has today laid out plans to change voting in the mayor of London election and other local elections to First past the Post like in General Elections. Priti Patel today said the Home Office, Cabinet Office and Ministry of Housing would “change the voting system for all Combined Authority mayors, the mayor of [...]
Half of Londoners think Sadiq Khan has not done enough to improve London’s affordability March 16, 2021 New polling shows more than half of Londoners think Sadiq Khan has not done enough to make London more affordable as his near 10 per cent council tax rise begins to take effect across the capital.
City minister calls for ‘responsible capitalism’ in financial services sector March 16, 2021 The UK’s financial services sector should move toward a more “responsible” form of capitalism that takes into account a broader ranger of interests and not just shareholders, according to City minister John Glen. Glen wrote today that the Square Mile was “ideally placed to showcase this responsible capitalism” through, but that firms should “reject some [...]
London is home to 60 unicorns after record levels of investment last year March 16, 2021 London is now home to 60 companies with unicorn status as the capital cements itself as Europe’s hub for tech investment. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, six London-based companies secured valuations of over $1bn in 2020: Octopus Energy, Arrival, Kazoo, infobip, Gousto and Hopin. And it’s been a strong start to 2021 with an [...]
Protests are disruptive by design and extra police powers could threaten all our human rights March 16, 2021 The police crackdown on the Clapham Common vigil in memory of Sarah Everard this weekend was a stark reminder that we all need human rights to ensure that the police both protect our lives when we are threatened and respect our rights to protest when things go wrong. In recent years, human rights have been [...]
Sadiq Khan to unveil £544m plan to fund London’s Covid recovery March 16, 2021 Sadiq Khan will today announce a £544m investment in London’s jobs and high streets to help the capital recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The Mayor of London will also call on the government to match his spending plans for the city as he unveils the proposals at the inaugural London Recovery Summit. Alongside the spending [...]
Priti Patel calls for ‘balance of rights’ between protesters and individuals as she introduces protest crackdown March 15, 2021 Priti Patel has told MPs that “there is a balance to be struck” between the rights of protesters and individuals as she today introduced new legislation that will crackdown on some form of protesting. The new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, if passed into law, will give the police powers to set start and [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for more government engagement on financial services post-Brexit March 15, 2021 Sadiq Khan has called for the government to provide greater clarity for the City of London post-Brexit, with the mayor telling Rishi Sunak to “address the concerns of London’s financial and professional services sector”. Khan wrote to the chancellor today to call for the government to secure equivalence for the financial services sector, in order [...]
London minister Paul Scully on his rise to government March 15, 2021 Paul Scully seems a natural fit for London minister. While the Sutton and Cheam MP didn’t grow up in the capital, Scully was born in Warwickshire and went to school in Bedforshire, he certainly sounds like a nailed-on Londoner. His south London twang is noticeable and so is his relaxed, chatty demeanour – the antithesis [...]