Labour has not delivered on planning reform, manufacturers say May 26, 2026 UK manufacturers have hit out at the country’s archaic planning system, claiming the Labour government has not delivered on stated aims to back builders over blockers. A new report from industry body Make UK found that almost half of manufacturers (46 per cent) believe the current planning system is still hampering the UK’s economic potential, [...]
West Ham United relegation to cost London taxpayers millions May 25, 2026 West Ham United’s relegation from the Premier League to the Championship will cost London taxpayers millions with the capital losing a top flight club once again. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur went into Sunday’s final round of matches knowing one of them would be relegated and, despite a 3-0 win over Leeds United, it [...]
Is housebuilding in London impossible? May 25, 2026 After its 900-home development in Peckham was blocked, housebuilder Berkeley said it can “no longer invest” in London. Felix Armstrong asks whether development in the capital really has hit a brick wall At the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, south London, shoppers are met with graffitied walls, peeling paint and shuttered retail units. The site began [...]
Palantir ‘should challenge Sadiq Khan in court’ over blocked Met Police contract May 25, 2026 American tech firm Palantir should challenge Sadiq Khan in court after the London mayor blocked a £50m contract with the Metropolitan Police, former government legal officer Sir Michael Ellis has said. Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Tory attorney general under Liz Truss, said Khan’s decision is “an extraordinary intervention, which may be susceptible to [...]
Enhanced Games isn’t sport but a product placement exercise May 21, 2026 The Killers are an odd choice of band to wrap this weekend’s Enhanced Games. I’ve no idea about lead singer Brandon Flowers’ attitude to the permissibility of performance enhancing drugs in sport, but the name of his beat combo jars with an enterprise testing scientific and medical boundaries. It won’t be spinach that the 50 [...]
Britain’s fastest man Zharnel Hughes backs home Olympics bid May 21, 2026 Britain’s fastest man Zharnel Hughes has backed a plan to bring the Olympics back to the UK in the 2040s. The government is exploring a potential pathway towards an Olympics in the North of England in what would be the first version of the event in Britain since London 2012 over a decade ago. Anguilla-born [...]
Premier League clubs’ success could earn HMRC £40m windfall May 19, 2026 Premier League clubs’ unprecedented success in Europe this season could earn HMRC a £40m windfall, according to tax experts. Bonuses paid out to players for winning domestic and continental trophies could hit £70m, generating a lucrative pot for the taxman, if Arsenal, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace clean up in the next two weeks. The [...]
Plans for 25,000-capacity NBA basketball arena called London Colosseum May 14, 2026 The capital is set to get a 25,000-capacity NBA basketball arena in the Olympic Park called the London Colosseum. Jericho Estates, Peacock Gym, Torch Sports and architects Chybik and Kristof have partnered to produce plans for the stadium, which will be near the London 2012 Olympic Stadium – currently used by Premier League club West [...]
Labour’s holiday tax ‘will make staycations more expensive’ May 13, 2026 A leading trade body has attacked the government’s plans to push through a so-called holiday tax, which it says will make Brits’ staycations more expensive. Labour unveiled an Overnight Visitor Levy Bill as part of the King’s Speech, which provides the legislative framework for mayors to be handed the power to impose a tourism tax [...]
Changing the leader won’t save Labour – or the country May 12, 2026 The well-intentioned but hapless Labour backbencher, Catherine West, spent the weekend warning that if she didn’t like Keir Starmer’s speech she’d launch a leadership challenge in a bid to flush out more serious candidates. In the end, she backed down, but has called for a transition of power to a leader in September. She has [...]