Independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart in BBC row February 27, 2020 The BBC has been accused of discriminating against Rory Stewart by shutting him out of its coverage in the lead-up to the May mayoral election. BBC London did not include the independent mayor of London candidate in a special report yesterday about knife crime, despite featuring the other four main challengers. City A.M. understands the [...]
Heathrow third runway: Businesses react as High Court blocks expansion February 27, 2020 Climate groups reacted joyously this morning after the Court of Appeal upheld their challenge to the planned third runway expansion of Heathrow Airport. However, business groups expressed their “bitter disappointment” at the decision. In a seismic decision for environmental campaigners, the court found that the government’s policy statement for the third runway was “unlawful” as [...]
Heathrow third runway plans ruled ‘unlawful’ as legal challenge upheld February 27, 2020 Heathrow Airport’s third runway expansion has stalled, after a challenge in the high court was upheld in the Court of Appeal. The court found that the government’s policy statement for the third runway was “unlawful” as it did not take into account the government’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, a challenge brought by mayor [...]
Heathrow expansion: Court of Appeal set to decide on Khan’s challenge February 27, 2020 The Court of Appeal will deliver a verdict on Sadiq Khan’s challenge to a third Heathrow runway today. Khan teamed up with several local authorities, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Heathrow Hub, authors of a rival extension bid, to challenge the Department for Transport’s (DfT) 2018 policy statement outlining the project. Parliament backed the [...]
Crossrail 2 should be funded this year, says government adviser February 26, 2020 Crossrail 2 should be one of Boris Johnson’s top infrastructure priorities and get a funding commitment this year, according to a key government infrastructure adviser. The National Infrastructure Commission released its annual report today, saying the £41bn north-south train line should immediately get the go ahead. The project is under a cloud of uncertainty due [...]
Sadiq Khan backs Sir Keir Starmer for Labour leader February 26, 2020 Sadiq Khan has endorsed Sir Keir Starmer to be the next leader of the Labour Party. The London mayor finally came out for the favourite today, after refusing to publicly back any of the leadership hopefuls for the first two months of the campaign. It also comes after Starmer was the only one of the [...]
Crossrail reviews safety procedures after a string of ‘near misses’ February 25, 2020 Crossrail has conducted a review of its safety assessment measures, after a spate of incidents where construction workers almost seriously injured. City A.M. exclusively reported in December that “high risk incidents” in the construction of the £18.25bn train line doubled last year. These incidents, known as as high potential near misses, “could have resulted in [...]
Fuming: Foreign Office names and shames embassies for unpaid congestion charges February 25, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is owed more than £116m of unpaid congestion charges by diplomatic officials, with the US embassy leading the way. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office released the figures today, showing that the US embassy had accumulated a total of 102,225 unpaid congestion charges, which adds up to £12.44m in lost revenue for [...]
Sadiq Khan budget: Uncertainty over Met’s special operations funding February 24, 2020 Sadiq Khan will spend an extra £227.6m on the Metropolitan Police in 2020-21, however its specialist operations branch may face future funding uncertainty. Khan’s £18.5bn 2020-21 budget was approved by the London Assembly today. He plans to increase day-to-day spending for the The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) to £3.89bn, which includes funding [...]
Sadiq Khan’s budget lays out path for East Bank development February 24, 2020 City Hall yesterday confirmed its plans to spend £437.5m over the next five years to fund a new culture and education hub across the Stratford waterfront. The £1.1bn East Bank development will be the home of a new Sadler’s Wells theatre, BBC music studios, a new Victoria and Albert Museum museum and campuses for University [...]