Met police apologise over ‘traumatic’ strip search of Hackney schoolgirl March 16, 2022 The Metropolitan police have apologised after two officers strip searched a black schoolgirl who was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis.
UK bans export of luxury goods to Russia and introduces hiked import tariffs March 15, 2022 The UK has banned the export of luxury goods to Russia, including designer handbags and works of art. The Chancellor also outlined new import tariffs that will represent a 35 percentage point increase on current rates. The fresh tariffs will hit products like Russian vodka, fertiliser and steel. Products no longer allowed to be exported [...]
‘Like a rogue builder’: Inside the long-delayed City Hall relocation to the Crystal March 14, 2022 Sadiq Khan’s decision to move City Hall to the Royal Docks was always going to be a tough sell for Greater London Authority (GLA) staff used to the metropolitan surrounds of Southwark and a public largely apathetic toward local politics. The abject difficulties in renovating the Crystal, and the concomitant delays, have made this task [...]
Labour opens up 30-point lead over Tories in London, says new poll March 14, 2022 Labour has a 30-point lead over the Conservatives in London with less than two months until a crucial set of local elections, according to a new poll. A new survey by Deltapoll, and commissioned by the London Communications Agency, has Labour on 54 per cent, the Tories on 24 per cent and the Liberal Democrats [...]
Oligarchs’ London mansions are ‘gold bricks to launder money’ says Sadiq Khan as Mayor labels UK refugee response ’embarrassing’ March 14, 2022 London Mayor Sadiq Khan described properties owned by Russian oligarchs in London as “gold bricks used to launder money”. Repeating his call for some to be used to house refugees from Ukraine, he said it would be a form of “poetic justice”. He told Times Radio: “I, for some time, with others, have been complaining [...]
Grant Shapps blocks Sadiq Khan’s Cockfosters development proposal March 11, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced today he has blocked a development project brought forward by London mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL). Writing to Chipping Barnet’s MP Theresa Villiers Shapps said he refused the application made by TfL to build tower blocks over Cockfosters’ station car park. “It was shocking when Labour councillors [...]
Greenwich could lose TfL funding following LTN slashing March 11, 2022 Greenwich was warned it could lose Transport for London (TfL) funding after it decided to slash the low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme. The council, led by Labour’s Danny Thorpe, slashed the LTN after residents complained about the detrimental effect on traffic in the borough but now it’s being asked to explain the decision, the Evening Standard [...]
London much better prepared for terror attack than five years ago March 11, 2022 London is significantly better prepared to deal with a potential terror attack than five years ago, although the capital will never be “entirely safe”, an independent review has found. Lord Toby Harris’ report said “very substantial progress” has been made by the emergency services and other agencies following the 2017 attacks on Westminster Bridge, London [...]
Exclusive: Khan tries to coordinate London hotel accommodation for Ukraine refugees March 10, 2022 Sadiq Khan is in talks to try and coordinate hotel accommodation for Ukrainian refugees set to arrive in London as a part of a similar scheme used to house homeless people during the first Covid lockdown. City Hall has been speaking to the government about how to house those fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with [...]
First we need to cut fuel duty, then we must redesign our road taxes entirely March 8, 2022 In early 2011 at The Sun, I pestered the editor for long enough about rising petrol prices that he decided the newspaper should be doing something about it. A campaign to freeze fuel duty was born – with all the old-school trimmings. We even took post bags full of petitions signed by readers up Downing [...]