Churchill statue and the Cenotaph: London monuments boarded up ahead of protests June 12, 2020 London’s iconic statue of Sir Winston Churchill and the Cenotaph have been boarded up as fears of violence grow over Black Lives Matter protests set to take place this weekend. Protective fences were placed around both memorials overnight as officials anticipate they could become hotspots for clashes between protesters during demonstrations this weekend. London mayor [...]
UKTV removes classic ‘Don’t mention the war’ Fawlty Towers episode June 12, 2020 BBC-owned streaming service UKTV has removed the ‘Don’t mention the war’ episode of sitcom classic Fawlty Towers, as broadcasters continue to cull content perceived to be insensitive from their platforms. The episode of the 1970s sitcom in which hotel proprietor Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, goose-steps while shouting “Don’t mention the war!” has been [...]
New poll finds Brits turn away from city life as attraction wanes June 12, 2020 There could be a dramatic shift in working life as cities become less attractive to Britons, a new poll has found. In an online survey by Ipsos Mori, 44 per cent of Britons say they expect cities to become less attractive places to live in the next few years. Just 19 per cent say their [...]
Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals to remove controversial statues June 11, 2020 The statues outside Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London will be removed, it was decided this evening. The statues, which feature Sir Robert Clayton and Sir Thomas Guy, are part of the arts and heritage collection owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. Clayton, whose statue is outside St Thomas’ Hospital, was a powerful member [...]
Poole to take down statue of Scouts founder Baden-Powell June 11, 2020 A statue of the worldwide founder of the Scouts is to be removed in Poole in the wake of anti-racism protests across the UK. The state of Robert Baden-Powell, who is remembered for establishing the Scouts movement in 1907, will be moved into storage today. Its presence in Poole has long been disputed by critics [...]
Robert Jenrick ducks questioning on his role in ‘unlawful’ planning decision June 11, 2020 Housing and communities secretary Robert Jenrick has been criticised for refusing to answer questions from MPs about his part in unlwafully granting planning permission to a £1bn property development. Jenrick instead sent his deputy Chris Pincher to face parliamentary scrutiny about the planning approval, drawing claims from Labour that he was “hiding from scrutiny”. Jenrick [...]
More ‘Boris bikes’ to be rolled out after record numbers take to two wheels June 10, 2020 Transport for London is adding 1,700 more bikes to its Santander Cycle scheme in response to record numbers of users during May. With health fears over coronavirus keeping Londoners off public transport, last month saw over 1.2m of the vehicles – formerly known as “Boris bikes” – hired, the highest number in the scheme’s 10-year [...]
Why we need to leave the statues alone June 10, 2020 The statue of slave trader Edward Colston was dramatically pulled from its plinth in Bristol and hurled into the harbour amid raucous, even jubilant, scenes. That a memorial to a trader in human souls would cause offence and anguish is beyond dispute, but its destruction and the manner of its downfall has sparked a debate [...]
Tower Hamlets removes Docklands statue of slave trader June 9, 2020 A statue of Robert Milligan, an 18th century slave trader, was being removed from its plinth outside a London museum today after officials decided it was no longer acceptable to the local community. The previously obscure statue, which stood in front of the Museum of London Docklands, came into focus after demonstrators taking part in [...]
Senior Tory figures trying to oust mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey June 9, 2020 Senior Conservative party figures are reportedly trying to replace London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey with former chancellor Sajid Javid for next year’s election. Bailey trailed mayor of London Sadiq Khan by 25 per cent in March polling before the election, originally scheduled for May, was postponed to next year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Khan [...]