London politics

London politics

The way everyone spoke when the fire happened, they made it sound like we were going to be re-homed,

A scheme to demolish the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead and replace it with 1,950 new homes was approved by Bexley Council in 2022. Since the plan was approved to redevelop the 1960s estate, made famous for featuring in the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, most of its residents have found accommodation elsewhere. Developer Peabody has said it is trying to keep the "strong community" of south Thamesmead together by offering residents financial support to buy new homes in the area.

Londoners are bracing for a weekend of travel disruption, with some bus strikes expected to still go ahead across the weekend following disputes over pay. Bus drivers, engineers and controllers working across 60 bus routes around London were expected to launch strike action between Friday and Sunday this weekend amid discussions over pay and working conditions.

The car-free This is Oxford Street event will mean the street will be closed to all traffic from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus. This will allow the road surface to be used for art installations, a children's literary festival, an urban forest, sports pitches, chill out zones, live performances and food and drink stalls. Prominent retailers are backing the event, including Schuh, Holland & Barrett, Topshop, John Lewis and The Body Shop, which will each host interactive events.

The RMT claims to have uncovered unredacted documents signalling that the booths would be earmarked for closure by 2027. Eddie Dempsey, the RMT's general secretary, said that such a decision was like pouring petrol on the fire during the walkouts. He added: After the biggest wave of public opposition we've seen in years to ticket office closures, it's beyond belief that similar plans are being put back on the table for the Elizabeth Line.

Hospitality businesses across London should be given a rent and business rates holiday to help them cope with the disruption caused by tube strikes, according to leading audit, tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. Andrew Sanford, a partner at the firm, said many restaurants, bars and cafe9s are located in Transport for London (TfL) properties, and urged the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to step in with immediate support. "The Mayor should give them a rent and business rates holiday for the strike period if they are in affected postcodes," Sanford said.

A man was forced to sleep in his car for more than a year after Redbridge Council failed to find him new housing. He ended up on the streets in June 2023 and lived in his car until November 2024, during which time he was attacked on several occasions. Following a review by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Redbridge Council was ordered to pay him a total of 1,900 in compensation.

I'll just make it absolutely clear to you, and I make no reservations about this, if anyone shows support for Palestine Action - an offense under the Terrorism Act - they will get arrested, he said. There's no doubt about that. We have the officer numbers, we have the custody capacity and all the resources to process as many people as is required. He revealed the force has access to contingency cells outside of London if needed.

Teachers no longer get daily briefings of interactions between police and young people, either as victims or perpetrators, as well as them having witnessed domestic violence. Ms West grew gasps after telling how she sent two welfare staff to a teenage truant's home unaware he'd he been charged and released on bail over a blade-wielding attempted murder. Scotland Yard is being forced into substantial tough choices amid a 260 million budget shortfall.

Describing the scheme as being part of the Labour administration's anti-car agenda, the Tories have also raised concern over the cost of installing the project. Two low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) installed by the council in Palmers Green and Bowes Park in 2020, and made permanent in 2022, caused significant controversy. The council recently agreed to trial a major change to the Bowes Park LTN after coming under pressure from drivers wanting easier access to their homes.

Thanks to the efforts of the thousands of hardworking Met officers and staff, our sustained crackdown on violent crime is working. Homicide is at a 10-year low, violent incidents in which people are injured are down by a fifth - proportionally lower than any other UK city - and firearms discharges are less than half the level they were seven years ago. That's because we're proactively targeting dangerous offenders and dismantling organised crime groups, while safeguarding those at risk of exploitation. As a result, less people are being killed and injured and our city is safer. We're not complacent and we will never stop the fight against serious violence. One senseless death is one too many.

The Standard has established that her bad luck was even greater than she first realised as she had previously set up an AutoPay account some years ago to ensure she always paid the congestion charge. However that AutoPay account which would also have covered her for the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel tolls had been deactivated a couple of years ago, probably on the expiry of the bank card to which it was linked.

The Pink Ladies took part in a peaceful demonstration at Canary Wharf on 31st August 2025. Our purpose was, and always will be, to stand up for justice in a non-violent, compassionate, and respectful way. Unfortunately, during the demonstration, the policing approach was heavy-handed. We wish to clarify reports circulating in the media that a police officer was punched in the face. This is not what happened. In reality, a young policewoman deployed her pepper spray incorrectly and accidentally injured herself in the process.

Building new homes takes a long, long time. Often, developments get stuck in the planning system for years and years before they finally start construction, and that means housing isn't getting built fast enough to keep up with demand. But the government has come up with a scheme that it hopes will solve that. Two London neighbourhoods are among six sites in England that have just been added to the government's New Homes Accelerator programme.

Jenni Rodgers, leader of the group Friends of Norbury Park, said: "We will have to wait for a new pitch to be put down. I am just sick of this actual lack of respect." A Croydon Council spokesperson said: "Our parks team have made the area safe by removing the hazardous debris, but unfortunately, the pitch cannot be currently used. We will work with the police and encourage anyone with information to contact them."