Dear Londoners — Fresh off a frantic weekend covering the delayed outcome of the capital's elections, we're back in the office and ready to dive back in. As the dust settles around Labour's crumbling grip on the capital, it's clear that there's still much to discuss — and a lot to speculative over going forward.
But, if you're sick to the back teeth of politics, don't worry — we've got plenty for you, too. How about Benedict Cumberbatch's involvement in some cyclist vs cyclist road rage? Or the potential financial savings you'll be making on buses in the coming summer holidays? All that, and we still had time to find you the best late-night bar in all of central. Never say we don't treat you...
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What the local elections will mean for you
As we covered in our weekend read, a chaotic set of local elections have completely upended the political map in London, turning what was one of the safest Labour heartlands in the country into a free-for-all. Of the capital’s 32 boroughs, 21 were run by Labour before the election. After surges for other parties — most notably the Greens — that figure has dwindled to just nine. While the losses aren't as acute as those seen elsewhere in the country, the certainty the capital’s voter base has offered Labour in the past makes them sting all the more.
“It’s been catastrophic in London, it’s been beyond a shit show,” one London Labour MP told Politics Home. “I've never known anything like it, if I'm honest.”
Behind the wider results, some entertaining subplots were playing out too. In Camden, Labour leader Richard Olszewski fled his seat of Fortune Green, where he was afraid of losing out to an insurgent Lib Dem vote… only to lose to the Greens in his new seat of Holborn and Covent Garden. Reform councillor Mark Shooter, whose exploits as a convicted rogue landlord (including a cramped 33-person HMO) were previously exposed in The Londoner, lost his seat in Barnet to Labour. Plus, Farhaan Rehman, a Labour councillor who hit headlines after he was caught using disabled parking bays to house his Lamborghini, lost his seat in Hounslow even as the party maintained control of the council.
What this all means for the city in the long-term will emerge over the coming months. But here are some of our main takeaways:
- In Wandsworth, Labour’s loss of control over the authority has likely endangered one of the capital’s most radical council house building programmes.
- In Enfield, according to the Enfield Dispatch, the fall of the Labour administration has created the possibility of a joint Green–Tory effort to block the government’s plans for a new town in Crews Hill in the area (something we’ve written about before).
- The new Green administration in Waltham Forest may be overturning a longstanding ban on e-bike operators in the borough.
- Lutfur Rahman’s re-election in Tower Hamlets paves the way for his key manifesto pledge to introduce free tube, bus and overground travel for students from low-income families.
- Lewisham’s new Green leadership is planning to establish a “popular assets commission” to help local residents take control over their pubs and community centres.
Get yourself down to Fleet Street
Untangling Victorian murders, digging into Shakespeare’s life in London and retracing Agatha Christie’s footsteps across the capital: the Fleet Street Festival of Words is back from 7-16 May, and we’re excited to be going along. You can hear Sir Ben Okri discuss A Tale of Two Cities, the author Lottie Moggach talk about the crime that inspired her new book and watch a live recording of The State Of It podcast from The Times, where leading political hacks Patrick Macguire, Gabriel Pogrund and Steven Swinford will offer the inside scoop on what’s happening in Westminster.
Click below to book your tickets and we’ll see you there.
Benedict Cumberbatch joins the cycling wars
As The Londoner has previously reported, our fair streets are policed not only by the Met and the city of London, but by righteous cyclists ready to document poor drivers and lay down the letter of the law. But one such road safety crusader got a surprise last week. After chasing down a cargo bike that had sped through at least one red light, the masked cyclist found that its owner was none other than an irate Benedict Cumberbatch.
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