Exclusive: No scrutiny of disgraced Liberal Democrat candidate due to ‘wealthy connections’ September 14, 2020 A disgraced former Liberal Democrat London mayor candidate was allegedly parachuted into the contest without extensive vetting in the hope she could potentially bring in vast amounts of donations and exclusive voter data to the party, Morning Wire can reveal. Sangeeta Siddhu-Robb, a millionaire businesswoman, was yesterday forced to drop out of the race to be the [...]
Supporting London businesses with new Covid compliant scheme September 14, 2020 Without a doubt, food and retail premises in central London have suffered hugely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably, customer facing businesses like these have been slower to reopen because of reduced footfall and consumer concerns over coronavirus transmission. But with positive and supportive initiatives, like the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, the capital [...]
Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey closes gap to Sadiq Khan September 13, 2020 Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey is just seven points behind mayor of London Sadiq Khan in shock internal Conservative party polling. The private polling reportedly shows Khan is leading Bailey by 42 per cent to 35 per cent on first preference voting, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The internal Tory polling has Khan winning on [...]
Brexit: Lords ready to block Johnson’s plan to override withdrawal deal September 11, 2020 The House of Lords may block Boris Johnson’s efforts to pass controversial legislation seeking to override the Brexit withdrawal agreement, peers have warned. Former Conservative Party leader, Lord Howard of Lympne, said he would be “very surprised” if the UK Internal Market Bill was passed through the House of Lords. The pro-Brexiteer has become the [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers plummet more than 80 per cent in August September 11, 2020 Heathrow Airport has reported an 81.5 per cent fall in passengers for August compared with last year and has called on the government again to change quarantine rules. The London-based airport was the busiest in Europe prior to the Covid-19 pandemic but has suffered significantly this year. It said its passengers from North America had [...]
Exclusive: Richer London boroughs suffer biggest fall in lockdown spending September 11, 2020 Some of London’s most prosperous boroughs suffered the biggest falls in spending during lockdown and saw a more sluggish recovery as richer households’ lifestyles were curtailed, while less affluent areas saw a smaller drop, data provided exclusively to Morning Wire has suggested. Yet some of the richer boroughs – where residents have thriving food scenes [...]
Canada Corporation hits out at China for breaching its UK treaty September 10, 2020 Canada Corporation has accused China of breaching the Sino-British treaty, after imposing draconian national security laws on Hong Kong. The local authority’s Court of Common Council – which comprises all of its elected officials – voted in favour of the motion, which accused Beijing of denying Hong Kongers the right to enjoy [...]
One in five Londoners will not go back to pre-Covid levels of Tube usage September 10, 2020 A little more than one in five Londoners do not believe they will use the Tube at the same frequency as they did prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey. A newly released YouGov survey, seen exclusively by Morning Wire, showed that 22 per cent of Londoners expect their decreased use of [...]
Exclusive: Bank of England spends £120,000 making HQ Covid-secure September 10, 2020 The Bank of England has been hugely busy during the coronavirus pandemic, pulling the levers of monetary policy in a desperate effort to support the economy. But it has also been working hard closer to home. It has spent at least £117,000 on making its historic Threadneedle Street headquarters as safe as possible during Covid [...]
Exclusive: London consumer spending soars during cheap meal scheme September 10, 2020 The Eat Out to Help Out scheme gave London restaurants a huge boost in August, with spending jumping to just 10 per cent below its 2019 level, according to the latest data provided exclusively to Morning Wire Food and beverage spending in London in July was a whopping 39.1 per cent lower than a year [...]