London tube strikes CALLED OFF as unions reach last ditch deal to evade chaos July 21, 2023 London tube strikes next week have been cancelled, after unions struck a last minute deal with Transport for London (TfL) this morning. Aslef, who represent train drivers, confirmed ahead of an official announcement that strikes from all unions would be called off. The RMT, ASLEF and Unite Unions had planned coinciding walk-outs – scheduled between 23 [...]
You win some, ULEZ some: A mixed bag of by-election results but what does it all mean? July 21, 2023 Well, it was quite a night. Three by-elections, three very different constituencies, and – at face value at least – something for everyone. If you’re catching up now, the headlines are: Rishi Sunak dodges a triple defeat, as the Tory Party held onto Uxbridge, while Labour won big in Selby and the Lib Dems took [...]
Double loss for Tories in Selby and Somerton as Sunak gets kicking July 21, 2023 Rishi Sunak has suffered a double defeat, losing Selby and Ainsty to Labour in a historic victory as the Liberal Democrats took Somerton and Froome. The Conservatives held on the west London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip – by fewer than 500 votes – but former prime minister Boris Johnson’s 7,210 majority was decimated. [...]
Uxbridge by-election: Tories hold Boris Johnson’s old seat as Labour blame Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion July 21, 2023 The Conservatives have held onto Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip as Labour blame Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion policy for the loss. Tory councillor and former postman Steve Tuckwell won the west London constituency with 13,965 votes – beating Labour’s Danny Beales, on 13,470. Sir Keir Starmer’s party had hoped to overturn [...]
What does Susan Hall’s selection mean for London? July 19, 2023 The Conservatives have selected former London Assembly group leader Susan Hall to run against Labour’s Sadiq Khan in the mayoral elections next year. For anyone who’s not been following the process, it has been somewhat of a rollercoaster. Murmurings started some months ago with reports CCHQ were on the hunt for a quasi-celeb, someone with [...]
Susan Hall selected as Conservative mayoral candidate July 19, 2023 Susan Hall has been selected as the Conservative London mayoral candidate. Hall, a former City Hall Tory group leader, will take on incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan, who is pursuing a record third term, in the election next year. She secured 57 per cent of the vote, beating rival candidate Moz Hossain, on 43 per cent, [...]
Five mayors preparing legal action against 1,000 rail ticket office closures – but Sadiq Khan not asked July 18, 2023 Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and four other mayors are preparing to take legal action against train operators in an effort to stop the closure of just under 1,000 ticket offices. Industry body Rail Delivery Group drew up plans to close the offices across the country and will move onto station concourses to assist passengers [...]
All you need to know about this week’s by-election battles July 17, 2023 With Parliament set to break up for summer recess this Thursday, MPs of all stripes are preparing to head back to their constituencies for the summer. But before the long August holidays, there could be some political upsets in store. Voters in three constituencies of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and [...]
‘He doesn’t like women’: Tory hopeful Susan Hall gets personal in bid to unseat Sadiq Khan July 17, 2023 With three by-elections approaching, the race between the now-two Tory hopefuls vying to take on Sadiq Khan in the 2024 mayoral election has taken something of a backseat. But following the exit of former No10 advisor Daniel Korski, the odds have shortened for both those standing. Former Conservative group leader in the London Assembly Susan [...]
The Boris by-election: Is Uxbridge about to turn red, or will the ULEZ expansion keep it blue? July 13, 2023 Tucked just inside the M25, the west London town of Uxbridge was, until last month, the parliamentary home of a former prime minister. Boris Johnson held Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the past eight years before dramatically quitting the Commons. Formed in 2010 by blending the former seats of Uxbridge and Ruislip-Northwood, the constituency has [...]