Another tube tragedy

Dear Londoners — It’s Peter here, as the rest of the team are attending some rather more pressing matters. What could be more important than getting you your Monday briefing, I hear you cry? Well, they’re at the Royal Courts of Justice to defend The Londoner against a £250,000 lawsuit — and an update on how that went will be sent to your inbox tomorrow. For now, let’s get into everything you need to know this week. 

More shocking tube safety accidents reported

Last Saturday, Rosie Swash reported on the strange and deeply disturbing death of Brian Mitchell. After falling onto the tracks at Stratford station on 26 December 2023, the 72 year old was fatally struck by four trains before anybody noticed. One of the most surprising elements of the inquiry that followed was the questions it raised about automation, and the role it had in Brian’s death. 

Why did nobody notice Brian had fallen onto the tracks? How could four separate train drivers fail to see someone directly in their path? The answer, the inquest found, was partially down to what’s called “cognitive underload” — meaning that so much of the job of driving a tube train is now automated that drivers often aren’t mentally stimulated enough to spot things that are out of the ordinary. 

In the weeks since Rosie’s piece, two more troubling cases around public safety on the tube have surfaced. The first was an incident at Ealing Broadway station in 2024, where the doors to a westbound Elizabeth line train closed over a passenger’s hand and dragged them 12 metres along the platform. The driver didn’t spot them and no sensors seemed to register it happening — luckily, a passenger and a station staff member noticed and were able to pull the person free. 

The second, horrifying incident came at Ickenham in March last year. A passenger fell onto the tracks and couldn't access the safety recess due to communications cables. Staff and the driver didn't notice, and the victim was on the line for two minutes before being fatally struck by an oncoming tube train. With these two new reports only coming to light this week following investigations, conversations around how to make the next generation of London’s trains safe for passengers will surely intensify. We’ll be monitoring them as they do.

A 1,500-home housing development comes to Brentford

15 minute neighbourhoods are one of those strange concepts which sound perfectly normal — great, even — but inexplicably inflame conspiracy theorists. What do you mean, I’ll have a normal high street with shops nearby, similar to the ones London has had for thousands of years? Something fishy must be going on…

Well, nail down your 5G masts: councillors in Hounslow have just signed off on a 1,500-home development complex in Brentford, which they’re trumpeting as part of their 15 minute neighbourhoods plan. The former GlaxoSmithKline site will be converted into five residential tower blocks and buildings for student homes. Of the 761 homes that will be built initially (the construction will take place over two stages), 116 will be available for “social” rent and 33 banded as “intermediate” rent (either 20% lower than market rate, part of the London Living rent programme or a shared ownership scheme). 

It’s a big development for London’s housing market, given that plans for just 5,547 private sector homes entered construction last year. The development will make room for a new NHS GP surgery and a nursery, but it’s not quite off the ground yet — the plans will now go before the mayor and housing secretary for final approval.  

Measles on the rise 

The London Assembly is holding an emergency meeting this morning to address the measles outbreak hitting various parts of the city. Over 100 cases of measles have been recorded in London since the beginning of 2026, the majority of which are clustered around North London — with 59 cases in Enfield alone.

The sad, predictable reality is that the majority of these cases are unvaccinated children. London has the lowest vaccination rate in the UK, with just 71.3% of five-year-olds having received both MMR doses. Enfield’s vaccination rate is just 64.2%, however it’s far from the lowest around London: Kensington & Chelsea has the lowest at 51.3% whereas in Hackney the figure is 52.9%. 

With different communities holding complex attitudes towards vaccinations, the authorities gathered at the London Assembly today — reps from the UK Strategic Health Authority, Public Health for Enfield and the North Central London Integrated Care Board are all present — have a challenging task on their hands. If you’re affected by this or know more about the outbreak in Enfield, do get in touch at editor@the-londoner.co.uk.

Quick hits

1. City Hall are introducing new policies to regulate the power and water hungry data centres, the BBC reports — a hot-button topic we went deep on last month.
2. Rail disruption of several forms, with the fire at Glasgow station causing Scotland-bound trains to be rerouted through Edinburgh and an incident near Marylebone station forcing disruption.
3. Rare surviving items of Charles Dickens’ clothing are set to go on display at the Charles Dickens Museum.
4. Senior Labour politicians are warning the government that the party faces a “political earthquake” in London in May as the Green party makes inroads. 
5. A man in his 40s was stabbed in Finchley amidst clashes between those for and against the Iranian government.
6. The Met says it has questioned three women over allegations of trafficking and facilitating sexual abuse, as part of an investigation against late Harrods owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed.

In case you missed it…

• On Saturday, Andrew reported from the vomit-soaked chaos of the Bermondsey Beer Mile. How did a formerly quaint collection of craft ale breweries descend into mayhem? And why is private equity now involved? For answers to those questions (and several other mysteries you likely won’t have pondered), you can find the piece here. 
• With the local elections now less than two months away, Peter ventured over to Hackney to report on an insurgent Green party. Polanski plans to topple Labour mayor Caroline Woodley and install London Assembly member Zoe Garbett to replace her — along with 19-year old Dylan Law as deputy mayor. Whatever happens, Woodley can’t be accused of going down without a fight: “I am going to have a dig at Zack”.
• It was a pleasure to see reader Tony Roome’s comment on Hannah’s Friday piece about Tracey Emin’s new show at Tate Modern. “One of the most articulate I have read in quite a time”, said Tony, before continuing that Hannah’s review had propelled the show “up to the ‘must see’ part of my list”. Which is where it should be! As ever, we love hearing the shows you’ve been seeing, so if there’s anything really spectacular you’ve seen lately we’d love to hear.

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Wining and dining

With endless offerings and non-stop openings, we all know that deciding where to eat and drink in the capital can be fraught. We want to make it easy — so every week we’ll give you our insider guide to the city’s best spots. 

One perfect meal: Watander, Catford

Catford is not an especially well-connected corner of London. So when I learned that my friend had made a dinner reservation at Watander, I’m not ashamed to say I let out a little groan. 90 minutes on public transport, I grumbled — all for some unassuming Afghan restaurant near Lewisham Hospital? 

Well, the tables have been turned, and here I am imploring you to make the trip. The interior is bright and heavy on the plastic: plastic flowers lining the walls, plastic menu, plastic chairs grouped around two banks of plastic tables running towards the kitchen. But what comes out of that kitchen is sublime. For starters, the unanimously agreed-upon star was the Borani E Bademjan: a smoky, sweet aubergine and tomato stew, lifted by yoghurt and dried mint. Gorgeous, and a fine pairing for what seemed to be an unlimited quantity of pillowy naan bread. 

For mains, get the Qabuli Pulao, Afghanistan’s national dish: a mound of subtly spiced pilaf, run through with carrot, beans and a lamb shank so tender I could cut it with a spoon. The spiced dumplings were fragrant and perfectly cooked. The Sabzi Palak — a spinach soup dish which originates from India – was sensational. 

What really takes Watander to another level, though, is the ice cream: three dense paddles of cardamom-infused vanilla ice cream, stacked into an improbable tower and dusted with ground pistachio. The main dishes are lovely, great even. But what food magazine Vittles has termed the “Afghan McFlurry” is what will have me jumping back on the DLR as soon as the weather warms.

One perfect pub: The Queens Arms, Battersea

The Queens Arms has lived more lives than most. For a while, it was a community boozer on the backstreets of south Battersea, until Covid brought about its end. Then it was slated to become a community kitchen, only for that to fall by the wayside. By the time 2025 kicked around it was the pub equivalent of a flatlined patient; basically dead, without some sort of medical miracle. Most of the time, in this city, that’s where the story ends. 

But then the Queens Arms was taken over by Bohem. If you aren’t aware of them, Bohem brews crisp, Czech-style beers out of its brewery up in Tottenham, thanks to an almost obsessive attention to detail that sees intricate cooling baths, pipes and taps installed at their bars. And if that isn’t enough of a sell, you can wash down your amber nectar with fresh klobása (Czech sausages) and other Central European goodies. If you're a south Londoner, bored of the neon cocktail bars of Clapham or the never ending stream of nondescript Young’s pubs in Wandsworth, maybe give the Queens a go. 

Our favourite reads

Simpson’s in the Strand is open again – here’s our exclusive preview — Ajesh Patalay, Financial Times

Legendary London restaurant Simpson’s-in-the-Strand has a famous alumni roll call as long as your arm: Gladstone, Dickens, Disraeli, Conan Doyle and Churchill all graced its dining room at some point in its near-200-year history. But during the pandemic in 2020, the institution closed amid arguments with its landlord. The doors were locked shut, the silverware sold off. Suddenly, the future of one of the country’s oldest restaurants was in doubt.

That is, until famed restaurateur Jeremy King stepped in. After a multi-year refurb, the 21,500 sq ft space has opened once again — and the Financial Times was given a sneak peak (and nabbed some beautiful photos).

To Do List

1. Check out the Londoners on Trial exhibition at the London Archives, which delves into the history of persecuted Londoners from 1244–1924. It’s got everyone from Oscar Wilde to Dick Turpin, and explores how authorities came to police the burgeoning metropolis with a system of bobbies, regulations and courts. Somewhat fitting, considering today's intro...
2. Yearning to see what spring looks like at Hampton Court Palace’s 800+ acres of gardens and parkland? Well, if you head to their open house this weekend, you can visit the historic stately home’s grounds for free.  

From the archive

With the first hint of warm weather briefly surfacing last week, the thought of spending spring and summer in London’s parks now feels almost close. Maybe winter will end, after all. This 1954 guide to London’s “Green Islands” may be a tad out of date, but many of its most enticing prospects — swimming at Hampstead Heath, walking at Battersea Park — are evergreen.