Category Archives: London

‘This is not the country I moved to’: the British Indians showing support for Nigel Farage

Posted on by

Savitha Prakash, a first-generation immigrant running in local elections in Harrow, says Reform UK aims to ‘put Britain first’

Savitha Prakash, an NHS doctor living in the London borough of Harrow, believes there are similarities between the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. “He’s [Modi] one of those people, like Nigel, he walks the talk. He made [a] difference to the country,” said Prakash, who chairs Reform UK’s branch in Harrow.

In particular, the 47-year-old said Farage and Modi – who have each been accused by their critics of scapegoating marginalised communities – were focused on putting the needs of the majority first.

Continue reading...

Police investigate whether London arson attacks were planned for weeks

Posted on by

Criminals paid on behalf of Iran are believed to be behind attacks against Jewish targets, say detectives

Detectives are investigating whether the series of arson attacks in London were planned for weeks with suspects carrying out reconnaissance on the Jewish targets to be firebombed.

The series of attacks against synagogues and other Jewish targets, as well as one premises linked to Iranian dissidents, are believed to be carried out by criminals paid on behalf of Iran, police said.

Continue reading...

Woman charged with attempted murder after car hit pedestrians in London

Posted on by

Gabrielle Carrington, 29, faces charges after incident on Argyll Street in the early hours of Sunday morning

A woman has been charged with attempted murder after a car hit pedestrians in central London in the early hours of Sunday.

A woman in her 30s remains in a life-threatening condition and a man in his 50s suffered life-changing injuries after they were hit by a car in Argyll Street, Westminster, at approximately 4.30am on Sunday, the Metropolitan police said. A second woman in her 30s suffered minor injuries, the force added.

Continue reading...

Police investigate attempted arson attack at north-west London synagogue

Posted on by

Minor smoke damage but no injuries reported at synagogue in Harrow, after spate of similar incidents in recent weeks

An attempted arson attack has been reported at a north-west London synagogue, after a spate of similar incidents.

The incident at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow on Saturday night caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but no injuries or significant structural damage, according to the Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism and provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK.

Continue reading...

Kensington Gardens reopens after police deem suspicious items non-hazardous

Posted on by

Officers responded after group claimed to have targeted nearby Israeli embassy with ‘dangerous substances’

Kensington Gardens in London has reopened after the discovery of several suspicious items including two jars containing a powdered substance that was deemed to be non-hazardous, police said.

Officers in protective clothing responded to an incident near the Israeli embassy on Friday after counter-terrorism police investigated a video shared online in which a group claimed to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”.

Continue reading...

Two more Reform local election candidates accused of offensive posts

Posted on by

Labour calls on Nigel Farage to sack candidates and says his party’s checks ‘clearly not fit for purpose’

Reform UK’s checks on candidates are “clearly not fit for purpose”, Labour has said after two more candidates in May’s local elections were accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, the party set up by the MP Rupert Lowe after he left Reform, appeared to have accepted a donation from someone who has called publicly on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power.

Continue reading...

Police respond to incident near Israeli embassy in London

Posted on by

‘Discarded items’ assessed as officers investigate video in which group claims to have targeted embassy with drones

Police in protective clothing are responding to an incident near the Israeli embassy in central London as counter-terrorism officers investigate a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”.

The Metropolitan police said there was an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens as officers investigated a number of “discarded items” and have urged people to avoid the area while they carry out their work.

Continue reading...

V&A faces calls to become living wage employer on eve of Stratford opening

Posted on by

Campaigners organise open letter to director demanding ‘fair day’s wage’ for all workers at V&A museums

A row over pay has broken out at the V&A before the opening of its newest site , with thousands of people calling for it to become a living wage employer.

On Saturday, V&A East will open its doors in Stratford, east London, showcasing stunning fabrics, photos and black British music. It joins a wider group of V&A museums including its original site in South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green and V&A Dundee. The V&A describes its latest opening as one of the most significant new museum projects in the UK.

Continue reading...

Counter-terror police investigate London arson attacks on Iranian and Jewish targets

Posted on by

Officers looking into attacks on Iran International media offices, synagogue and Jewish charity ambulances

Counter-terrorism investigators are examining three separate arson attacks in London against an Iranian dissident and Jewish targets amid fears the Iranian state may be behind them.

The latest attack happened at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, outside the offices of Iran International, a Persian-language news channel that opposes the regime in Tehran.

Continue reading...

King signs up David Beckham to his Chelsea flower show team

Posted on by

Ex-footballer to decorate gnome for annual event after organisers lift ban on the ornaments dating back to 1927

Rare roses and stunning irises are usually among the most coveted items at the Chelsea flower show. But this year, the star attraction might be pink, sequined – and decorated by David Beckham.

The former England football captain is co-designing a garden at the May event with King Charles and as part of that effort he has been given a garden gnome to paint. It will be auctioned off for charity.

Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’

Posted on by

Mayor says disinformation, including about London crime rates, is ‘eating away at basic bonds of trust’

Sadiq Khan has called on ministers to take significantly stronger action against social media companies that spread disinformation after a study showed a surge in hostile accounts posting falsehoods about London’s crime rates and integration.

In an intervention on what he called “the outrage economy”, the London mayor, who has also written to social media firms demanding change, said a lack of action could prompt more domestic terrorism by people who believe conspiracy theories they find online.

Continue reading...

‘I’m broken-hearted’: father pays tribute to student, 21, stabbed in Primrose Hill

Posted on by

Finbar Sullivan, who ‘loved movies and making films’, had gone to London park to use new camera, says father

A film student who was stabbed to death in London’s Primrose Hill was a “beautiful, lovely, outgoing, loving” man, his father has said.

Finbar Sullivan, 21, was stabbed in a fight in the north London park in the early evening on Tuesday and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Continue reading...

Pepsi drops Wireless sponsorship amid criticism of Kanye West booking

Posted on by

Sponsor pulls out after Keir Starmer calls decision to book rapper who wrote song titled Heil Hitler ‘deeply concerning’

Pepsi has said it is withdrawing its sponsorship of a UK music festival that is due to be headlined by Kanye West after Keir Starmer joined criticism of the event.

The musician is understood to have not yet made an application to come to Britain and could be blocked under powers allowing the authorities to do so if his presence is deemed not conducive to the public good.

Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan warns of ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to any repeat of Clapham disorder

Posted on by

London mayor says more arrests will be made after young people stormed into shops as part of social media trend

Sadiq Khan has warned against any repeat of “utterly unacceptable” scenes of disorder in Clapham earlier this week, saying culprits who assault and intimidate shop workers will face the full force of the law.

The mayor of London said more arrests would be made in the coming days, and urged anyone considering more violence over the Easter weekend to think again.

Continue reading...

Prominent UK pro-Palestine activists guilty of breaching protest conditions

Posted on by

Campaigners call verdict on Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham ‘grotesque’ and part of attempt to ‘undermine civil liberties’

Two prominent leaders in the Palestine solidarity movement in Britain have been found guilty of breaching protest conditions, in what campaigners called a “grotesque” and “shocking” decision.

Ben Jamal, 62, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and Chris Nineham, 63, vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, were accused of failing to comply with conditions imposed on a protest on 18 January 2025. They were subsequently charged with public order offences.

Continue reading...

Undercover police officer was sacked for assaulting partner, spycops inquiry hears

Posted on by

Conviction revealed during questioning of Rob Hastings about a second woman whom he deceived into intimate relationship

An undercover officer who deceived a woman into an intimate relationship was later convicted and dismissed from the police for assaulting his long-term partner, the public inquiry into undercover policing has heard.

Rob Hastings, who infiltrated pro-Palestinian and left wing protest groups for three years during his covert deployment, was convicted of assaulting his now ex-partner and mother of his three children in 2014. He was sacked by the Metropolitan police for gross misconduct as a result.

Continue reading...

Crowds gather for London march against the far right – live

Posted on by

Together Alliance march begins in central London at midday; a separate event organised by the Palestine Coalition is also taking place

Co-organiser of Saturday’s event, Sabby Dhalu, who is joint secretary of the Together Alliance and co-convenor of Stand Up to Racism, said the UK is seeing an “unprecedented growth” in support for far-right organisations.

“We believe that the majority of British people stand against the hatred and division and racism that was being encouraged at that demonstration and by these types of organisations, and it’s time to act.”

Continue reading...

Billy Bragg calls for big turnout at London march against far right

Posted on by

Musician urges public to send clear message at what is expected to be UK’s biggest ever multicultural rally

Billy Bragg has encouraged people to send a clear message to those seeking to divide the country by turning out to support what is expected to be the biggest multicultural march in UK history on Saturday.

Speaking to the Guardian before the Together Alliance’s march against the far right in central London, the musician and political activist said participants hoped to “send out a message to our fellow citizens that we are willing to take a stand against [the politics of hate] being imported into the UK”.

Continue reading...

McSweeney-Mandelson messages still exist despite theft of ex-chief of staff’s phone

Posted on by

Cabinet Office thought to have a number of exchanges between the friends, which are expected to be released within weeks

The Cabinet Office is understood to hold a number of text and email exchanges between Peter Mandelson and Morgan McSweeney, despite the theft of the former chief of staff’s phone in October last year.

The whereabouts of McSweeney’s messages with Mandelson has been under intense scrutiny since it was reported his work device was stolen last year shortly after Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador.

Continue reading...

Arson attack on London volunteer ambulances being treated as antisemitic hate crime, police say

Posted on by

Met says four vehicles from Jewish community ambulance service damaged in suspected arson attack in Golders Green

Four ambulances belonging to the Jewish community ambulance service have been set on fire in Golders Green, with police saying they were treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime”.

Officers were called to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am on Monday after receiving reports of a fire.

Continue reading...