Sir Sadiq Khan criticises Rachel Reeves over Spending Review
The Spending Review confirmed that Transport for London (TfL) was getting a cash injection of £2.2bn over four years, but no funds were allocated for the new transport infrastructure projects Sir Sadiq had been lobbying for.He had previously said a Labour government working with a Labour mayor could mean London would get what it needs.He told BBC London on Tuesday of his mixed feelings about the chancellor's announcement last week. Sir Sadiq said: "The good stuff I welcome – after years of lobbying we have got a record-breaking deal for Transport for London. "We have got on average a more than doubling of the amount of money received from the government compared to the previous government."I welcome at long last a multi-year deal for City Hall and of course the record investment in the NHS."But he added that "I think it is bad that this government is not supporting new infrastructure in London like the extension of the DLR, which would help us not just create new jobs but build record numbers of homes."I think it is ugly this idea of pitting London against the rest of the country - I think our country succeeds when London does."
On his plans for DLR and Bakerloo line extensions, the mayor added: "We are still going to try and lobby for these things - I am lobbying for these things - that doesn't take away from the fact I think the chancellor got it wrong last week. I think she has made a colossal mistake in pitting London against the rest of the country."The mayor's transport plans include a DLR extension to Thamesmead, the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham and the West London Orbital between Hendon and Hounslow.Sir Sadiq also warned there may be fewer police officers in London despite "a record settlement from the Home Office combined with investment from City Hall".He said: "My concern is because of 14 years of austerity we need huge sums to avoid further police officers, PCSOs, police staff and buildings being lost."
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Plans to turn London's West End into traffic-free zone continue with another major tourist road earmarked for pedestrianisation
Another road in London 's West End could be pedestrianised in plans which would also enlarge an existing pedestrian area and create new cycle routes. All traffic would be banned from Regent Street Saint James's, the grand road which links Piccadilly Circus with St James's Park, under the proposed scheme. The existing pedestrian space at Piccadilly Circus would be enlarged as part of the same plans while Regent Street would be given new cycle routes. Two-way traffic would be brought in on nearby Haymarket too under the suggestions announced this morning by Westminster City Council and The Crown Estate. Regent Street would also undergo 'greening' to install more plants, while pedestrian crossings would be improved and the central island on the street taken out. The council's draft plan is said to reimagine an ambition set out two centuries ago by famed architect John Nash to connect St James's Park to Regent's Park. The new proposals are separate to the £150million plan already revealed by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan last September to pedestrianise key sections of Oxford Street. The Mayor confirmed last month that he was pressing ahead with his scheme which would see vehicles banned from a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, with the potential for more changes towards Tottenham Court Road. Regent Street (above) would be given new cycle routes as part of the council's fresh proposals Today, City Hall said it welcomed the council's new plans which 'complemented' the Mayor's proposals for Oxford Street, one of the world's busiest shopping areas. Geoff Barraclough, the council's cabinet member for planning and economic development, said the plans would create 'a new network of public spaces'. He told BBC News: 'This is a rare opportunity to reimagine the heart of the West End as a greener, more welcoming and accessible place that works better for residents, visitors and local businesses alike.' Mr Barraclough encouraged workers, residents and visitors to the area to take part in a public engagement process which will run until August 10. Kristy Lansdown, from The Crown Estate, said the plans would make the area 'fit for the future'. It comes after Sir Sadiq said last month that plans to ban traffic from part of Oxford Street would be implemented 'as quickly as possible' because they are supported by 'the vast majority of Londoners'. But those plans were previously criticised by Steve McNamara, general secretary of the London Taxi Drivers' Association, who raised concerns about crime, saying his members had 'lost all confidence' in the police's ability to keep Oxford Street safe. He told the Telegraph last September: 'Of course, that's compounded by the level of street crime that they witness on a daily basis. 'The big thing that our members witness on a daily basis is phone snatches in London. And so they're thinking, well, what's the point in me ringing up and reporting that when nobody's doing anything about it?' Meanwhile Julie Redmond from the Marylebone Association group warned pedestrianising Oxford Street would have 'several negative impacts on residents in the surrounding areas'. She told of an 'increase in traffic congestion on nearby residential streets, more noise and air pollution in quieter areas, affecting the quality of life for those living there'. Restrictions already in place mean between 7am and 7pm vehicular access to parts of Oxford Street is limited to taxis and buses, except on Sundays. But the redevelopment is set to require 16 bus routes to be removed or diverted - including the 98 and 390 which run the full length of Oxford Street. Sir Sadiq's office said last month that two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents to a consultation support the pedestrianisation plan. A separate YouGov survey conducted in September 2024 indicated 63 per cent of Londoners are in favour of the project. Detailed proposals for traffic in the shopping area, which has around half a million visitors each day, will be consulted on later this year. A previous attempt by Sir Sadiq to pedestrianise that part of Oxford Street was blocked by then-Conservative run Westminster City Council in 2018. His latest proposals depend on him obtaining permission from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in her role as Housing Secretary to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation, which would provide planning powers. The aim is for this to be created by the start of next year.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Islamophobia: 'The threats we face as Muslim Londoners are real'
"I've been called names on the train. I've been told to go home. I've been told I'm not welcome, that I'm not British."Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Hina Bokhari - the first woman from an ethnic minority to lead a group on the Assembly - says she and other Muslims are facing increasing levels of Bokhari says that despite a promise by Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan to address this in the wake of the anti-immigrant riots last summer, and tensions over the conflict in the Middle East, no Islamophobia training has yet been forthcoming for those working across the Greater London Authority (GLA).A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said the GLA had mandatory training courses in place for staff to tackle all racism, prejudice and unconscious bias. 'Couldn't leave my house' Ms Bokhari told BBC London: "I really do not want to be talking about Islamophobia. I want to be talking about young people and their future in the city, I want to be talking about the need for more homes, the fact that there is a welfare system that we need to fix, championing disabled people. "But the reason I'm pushing this is because there hasn't been any training across the Greater London Authority," explains Ms Bokhari, who taught for 20 years in some of London's most deprived schools and was recently appointed OBE."It should have happened immediately after the riots in the summer. That was such a pivotal moment when Islamophobia was seen at its worst. I knew, as a Muslim, that I couldn't leave my house that day."The threat of being attacked because of who I was, being the colour that I was, the faith that I was. I've never had that experience before in my life growing up in this city."There were images of people throwing bricks at mosques and setting buildings on fire. I never thought I would see that day." Much of the aggression last summer was aimed at Muslim communities, after false information spread online about the race and religion of the man - later identified as Axel Rudakubana - who murdered three little girls at a dance class in Southport. The war in the Middle East is also a the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, and subsequent conflict in Gaza, Ms Bokhari was offered training in combating antisemitism, which she willingly undertook, along with many of her colleagues."I'm really pleased I did antisemitism training; learning what it's like to have that lived experience of being Jewish was so helpful. We need that for Muslims, too."But no specific Islamophobia training has been given by either the GLA, the Metropolitan Police or the London Fire a letter to Sir Sadiq, Ms Bokhari said: "The threats we face as Muslim Londoners are not abstract or hypothetical - they are immediate, real, and growing."For many of us, this is not merely about perception or politics. It is about safety. Muslims today live in legitimate fear. Whether walking down the street, engaging online, or simply existing visibly as Muslims, we find ourselves bracing for abuse, harassment or worse." 'Go home' In 2019, the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims proposed the following definition: "Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness."In February, a group was established to provide the government with a working definition of published by the Met Police for the calendar year of 2024 show that hate crime fell by 16%, with just under 22,300 offences recorded. Islamophobic hate crime in the same timeframe was down 2%, with about 1,350 offences crimes reported were down 14% in the same period, with just over 1,400 offences recorded. Overall, faith crimes were down 8.7%, with 3,229 offences Mama, an organisation that supports victims of Islamophobia, recorded 6,313 cases of anti-Muslim hate in 2024, a 43% increase on the previous year - with 5,837 of the reports verified by the documented a steep rise in offline incidents, with 3,680 cases reported - a 72% increase on the number two years Atta, from Tell Mama, said its figures were higher than those recorded by the police because "as a victim support service, Muslim communities can report anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobic incidents to Tell Mama in confidence". "With victims' consent, we flag and refer matters to the police where appropriate," she added. Ms Bokhari believes Islamophobia has been getting steadily worse since 9/11, and was exacerbated by the 7/7 Tube and bus attacks and then by the conflict in the Middle East."In recent months it has definitely got worse. I was recently abused at a surgery where I had a woman who asked me if I was a Muslim and then began a tirade of ranting and screaming at me, saying Muslims should all die."I was at London Bridge station when someone came up to me and said a racist word to me and told me to 'go home'."Islamophobia is becoming so normalised that people think they can say these things to you." 'Extremely concerning' Last year, Tell Mama recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim hate cases since its founding in 2011. In its report, the organisation said there had been a "surge in rhetoric that falsely portrays Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathisers" following the Israel-Gaza conflict and Southport murders.A government spokesperson described the findings as "extremely concerning" and said it would "seek to stamp out anti-Muslim hatred and racism wherever it occurs"."The mayor of London has been providing moral leadership on tackling anti-Muslim hatred and antisemitism," said Iman Atta from Tell Mama."He convened the first-ever engagement between Jewish and Muslim communities post the October 7th attacks and the ongoing war in Israel-Palestine."One of the things I'd hope from the mayor," continued Ms Atta," is to back and endorse training on anti-Muslim hatred to understand the dynamics around it and how the Greater London Authority members can understand it, can challenge it, can prevent it and can call it out." A spokesperson for the mayor said: "Islamophobia has absolutely no place in London and the mayor continues to ensure the police take a zero-tolerance approach."Sadiq has invested a record £15.9m investment – more than any other mayor – to tackle hate crime in all its forms in our communities and strengthen Londoners' resilience to extremism, help stop the spread of hateful narratives and safeguard vulnerable young Londoners from radicalisation and misinformation online."At a time of rising tension and online hate, the mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund is tackling Islamophobia and other hate crime as a priority area, delivering programmes to tens of thousands of young Londoners over the last five years."The GLA also has mandatory training courses for staff to tackle all racism, prejudice and unconscious bias. The mayor will continue to do everything possible to ensure Londoners of all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome and safe, building a better London for everyone." 'We need to eradicate Islamophobia' But Ms Bokahri doesn't think the mayor is doing enough to address Islamophobia specifically."We need to eradicate Islamophobia, and that will only happen through training. I don't think people really understand what Islamophobia is, or believe it exists. Some of the attacks I've been getting online have been about the fact that people think there is no such thing as Islamophobia."If we had training then at least people would know what we mean by Islamophobia."Asked whether she was surprised that no specific training had been forthcoming on Islamophobia despite the fact that London has a Muslim mayor, Ms Bokhari replied: "I look forward to working with the mayor to make sure that there is action across the GLA."I want the mayor to implement this training not because he is Muslim, but because he is the mayor."
Times
16 hours ago
- Times
MI5's ‘epic' China warning is being ignored
T he oohs and aahs came in a steady stream. The lion, made up of two lads inside a costume of elaborate, fluorescent riffles and painted swirls, was going shop to shop performing dramatic gyrations to a flurry of drumbeats, before rearing up to chomp lettuces hung from windows, and then spraying out the bits to onlookers. This was London's Chinese New Year parade and it was, in short, a better day out than Glastonbury. But though I did not realise it at the time, there was a similarly troubling political backdrop. That very day, a few streets away, Sadiq Khan was posing for photos with a man called Chu Ting Tang who, to all appearances, was just a regular diaspora bigwig who leads the London Chinatown Chinese Association. This, it turns out, is a bit like calling Captain Hook a cultural ambassador for amputees. What Tang actually is, according to a new report by the investigative charity UK China Transparency (UKCT), is an exceptionally senior official linked to the notorious Chinese propaganda and espionage department known as the United Front. (Neither he, nor the LCCA, responded to my queries.)
