London

    London's position as a financial hub will be dealt a severe blow if the UK left the single market, the head of Germany's central bank has warned. Jens Weidmann, president of Deutsche Bundesbank, warned that the “hard Brexit” scenario, favoured by conservative eurosceptics behind the ‘Leave Means Leave' campaign, would mean that Britain would be stripped of the right to authorise banks and finance companies to operate across the remaining 27 European Union nations. He added that it would also allow Frankfurt to take business away from London. “Passporting rights are tied to the single market and would automatically cease to apply if Great Britain is no longer at least part of the European Economic Area (EEA),” he said in a meeting with a host of European media outlets inclu...

    Londoners have welcomed the new Hopper fare, introduced today, which allows passengers to take a second bus or tram journey within an hour of their first one free of charge. The fare was introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as one of his manifesto pledges, with the aim of making travel easier and more affordable for many Londoners. At Victoria station this afternoon, reaction to the new fare was unanimously positive, with most Londoners saying the scheme would save them money. Cairo Kioko, who is in his 40s and lives in Willesden, said he was delighted by the new fare, which he thinks will save him about £11 per week. Mr Kioko, who works in Victoria Coach Station, told the Standard: "I didn't know about it, I've taken the bus twice to get here, from Willesden to Cricklewo...

    London City Airport was brought to a standstill on Tuesday morning after a group of Black Lives Matter activists stormed the runway. The demonstrators say they have "shut down London City Airport to protest the UK's environmental impact on black people". Police said the nine protesters locked themselves together and erected a tripod on the runway, while it has been reported that they bypassed security and reached the airport by using a rubber dinghy to cross the docks. As of around 10.15am, there had been seven arrests, but only two protesters had been removed from the runway. Swathes of outgoing flights have been cancelled, while incoming planes have been diverted to Gatwick and Southend airports. The activist group, which launched a series of protests around the country ...

    A gay couple have alleged they were forced off a London bus after the driver shouted homophobic remarks at them. Theatre director Omar Okai, 51, and his partner said the incident occurred after an evening out in central London. Mr Okai said they were "shocked and disgusted" when the driver shouted an innuedo-laden remark to them after they boarded the bus using the rear entrance. They claim the driver said: "I bet you like it in the backdoor" during the alleged incident near Tottenham Court Road station. Mr Okai and his partner have filed a formal complaint with Transport for London (TfL) and the police, The Evening Standard reports. In a letter to TfL, he wrote: "I would like an explanation, not just an apology, as I will be taking it further. “This kind of behaviour is n...

    The executives will pay for the chance to attend a lunch session with the prime minister, as well as meetings with the chancellor and other ministers. The Conservatives are selling access to Theresa May and other ministers for more than £3,000 a head to corporate executives and lobbyists at their party conference this autumn. The executives will pay for the chance to attend a lunch session with the prime minister and a dinner with the chancellor, as well as more intimate “round table” sessions with ministers relevant to their industry. The practice of charging corporate executives for access to ministers emerged under David Cameron, with the “business day” originally priced at around £1,000 a head for a session with the former prime minister and chancellor. A new corporate...

    Theresa May has agreed with her cabinet that restricting immigration will be a red line in any negotiations with the EU, in a move that experts claim will end Britain’s membership of the single market. The prime minister and her team, who met at Chequers – the PM’s country retreat – also confirmed that MPs will not be given a vote before the government triggers article 50, beginning the two-year countdown to a British exit. “There was a strong emphasis on pushing ahead to article 50 to lead Britain successfully out of the European Union – with no need for a parliamentary vote,” May’s spokeswoman said, before setting out how restrictions to freedom of movement would be at the centre of any Brexit deal. “Several cabinet members made it clear that we are leaving the EU but no...

    Brexit will dominate a special Cabinet away day at Chequers as Theresa May and her ministers meet for the first time since their summer break. The Prime Minister will use the meeting to attempt to resolve a bitter split between senior Cabinet ministers over the deal Britain wants to leave the European Union. It has been claimed she intends to "bang a few heads together" to halt feuding between the so-called "Three Brexiteers": Liam Fox, David Davis and Boris Johnson. Chancellor Philip Hammond is also at odds with Dr Fox and Mr Davis because he wants the Government to try to retain its membership of Europe's single market after Brexit. Other big issues on the Chequers Cabinet agenda will include: :: Hinkley Point C - The PM has launched an inquiry into the project before gi...

    The sun has set on hundreds of thousands of revellers who danced the Bank Holiday weekend away at Notting Hill Carnival. A parade of floats and brightly-dressed performers snaked their way through the streets of west London as part of the Caribbean-inspired celebration. But festivities at Europe's biggest street party were marred by more than 400 arrests across the two-day event - many relating to drugs and offensive weapons. Scotland Yard said 156 arrests were made on Sunday, while as of 8.45pm on Monday there had been 245 arrests. Some people were arrested for more than one offence, and 26 knives were seized. Police said there were four incidents involving people being stabbed, and after one of them a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of GBH. Sixty people were ar...

    North Korea's deputy ambassador in London has defected to the South, according to officials in Seoul. Thae Yong Ho has apparently arrived with his family in Seoul, making him the highest-ranking diplomat ever to defect to the South. He defected due to discontent with the regime and for the future of his child, the South's Unification Ministry said. Jeong Joon-Hee, spokesman at the ministry, told a news conference: "They are currently under government protection and relevant institutions are going ahead with necessary procedures as usual." Mr Jeong declined to give details on the timing of Mr Thae's arrival or his itinerary. Defections are a source of bitter contention between the rival Koreas, and South Korea does not always make high-profile cases public. Pyongyang often ...

    British Transport Police recorded 1,961 combined violent and sex crimes on the Tube and DLR in the first six months of the year. That compares with 1,389 crimes for the first six months of 2015 - an increase of 41 per cent. Most violent or sexual crimes were reported on the Central Line, which saw 314 such crimes overall between 1 January and 30 June. The most violent incidents occurred on the Jubilee Line, with 241, while the Central Line saw the most sex offences with 88. Authorities suggest that an increase in the number of people using the Tube (more than 11 million every day) will be a factor. BTP also said a rise in the number of sexual offences had been expected following the launch of 'report it to stop it' in April last year , which was a campaign to tackle sexual...