Why does Britain treat housebuilding as one big burden? Opinion Housebuilding is one of Britain's most obvious economic opportunities, yet government and citizens alike seem to see it only as a burden.
Don’t let council killjoys destroy London’s pubs Opinion Hounslow council has caused outrage by ordering three Chiswick pubs to remove their riverside tables. London doesn’t have to be this way, says Jack Emsley Sitting by the Thames with a pint on a sunny afternoon is one of the great joys of living in London. Our city is renowned for its pub culture, from [...]
Britain has turned its back on liberalism Opinion Britain is governed by a veto-cracy, a framework in which all progress is stalled thanks to a noisy minority, writes Julia Willemyns.
Soho killjoys are the worst kind of Londoners June 4, 2026 The Soho Society has declared a Nimby campaign against all new licensing applications. If they don’t want to live in the party centre of London they should leave, says James Ford What is the collective noun for a bunch of party poopers? A kennel of killjoys? A complaint of curmudgeons, perhaps? Well, if left to [...]
However London votes today, not enough will change May 7, 2026 Whether Labour, Tory, Lib Dem, Greens, or Reform – all local politicians are all incentivised by the system that elects them. Every party promises to protect “green spaces”, all councillors perform lip service towards supporting affordable homes, while campaigning vociferously against what they arbitrarily determine to be “inappropriate development”, says Tom Harwood While London (and [...]
Soho isn’t just for residents, so why do they get all the say? August 13, 2025 Soho could be a pedestrianised wonderland, but Nimbyism plus a council structure that disincentivises business is punishing all Londoners.
London could have new bridges for free – but we’re funding Nimbys and woke charities instead July 31, 2025 The City Bridge Foundation is an ancient fund with deep pockets whose specific purpose is to build and maintain London’s bridges – so why is it paying for woke charities and indirectly giving money to Nimby groups? Asks John Murphy “Politics is all about trade-offs,” we’re told. “You can’t please everyone,” says the wizened old [...]
London can’t afford to let rich Nimbys block live music in Brockwell Park May 21, 2025 Rich Nimbys are strangling the capital’s culture by blocking concerts in Brockwell Park, and the poorest Londoners will suffer the most, writes James Ford Do you remember when London was fun? Not just mildly fun, but properly and riotously so. A heaving metropolis where sweaty clubbers, ebullient party goers and merry music lovers packed themselves [...]
Support for local housebuilding plummets since election May 20, 2025 Brits’ support for housebuilding in their local area has fallen since the general election in a risk to the government’s lofty construction goals, according to new data. Net support has dropped by 11 percentage points, with renters’ backing for new housing near where they live falling by 14 percentage points, according to new research by [...]
The Debate: Should we build on the green belt? May 14, 2025 As Sadiq Khan commits to releasing parts of the green belt, we get two experts to make the case for and against in this week's Debate.