London

    Labour estimates that 40,000 council homes will disappear each year under the current demands of the Conservative government. More than 190,000 council houses could be lost by 2020 if the government’s housing bill, currently passing through parliament, is approved, Labour has warned. A proposal to force councils to sell their highest value homes, as well as the impact of increased discounts for council tenants granted the “right to buy”, will result in the loss of one in every eight council properties, according to the shadow housing minister. Speaking in advance of the Commons housing debate on Tuesday, John Healey said the homes could be snapped up by overseas investors and buy-to-let landlords rather than people in housing need. The legislation being proposed by the com...

  Hospitals gear up for junior doctors strike Hospitals across England are providing emergency care only after thousands of junior doctors went on strike. Despite last-ditch talks to prevent the damaging action, around 4,000 operations and procedures have been cancelled, with thousands more routine appointments also postponed. Around 100 picket lines have been put in place for the strike, with a large concentration in and around London. Patients have been told hospitals are under pressure and asked to attend A&E only if they have a genuine emergency. Instead, patients are being asked to make the most of other NHS services, including GPs, walk-in centres, the 111 phone line and pharmacies. The British Medical Association (BMA) is being backed in its action by other unions, includ...

    An Albanian man has been jailed after admitting a series of sexual attacks against women and at least one teenager on buses in east London. Giorge Zhukas, 47, sexually assaulted nine females on buses in Walthamstow and Ilford between August 11 and October 16 last year, Scotland Yard said. One of his victims was a 13-year-old girl, while the oldest was 43. He was arrested on October 20 after police identified him from CCTV footage on one of the buses. In four of the offences the quality of the CCTV was so high that the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charging, even though victims had not been identified. Zhukas, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 18 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to nine counts of sexual assault on buses in Waltham Fore...

    Train drivers on London Underground look set to take three days of strike action over a long-running dispute about pay and plans for an all night Tube service. Leaders of the drivers' union Aslef will meet on Monday to decide whether to press ahead with stoppages which would cripple Tube services in the capital. If the executive agrees, there will be a 24-hour strike from 21.14 on Wednesday January 27 followed by two further 24 hour strikes from the same time on February 15 and February 17. LU has offered a four-year pay deal and said it will hire part-time drivers to staff an all-night service at weekends. But unions have been seeking assurances for months about terms and conditions for their members. Finn Brennan of Aslef said: "We genuinely regret the inconvenience that...

    Zac Goldsmith The Conservative candidate to become the next Mayor of London has accused Labour’s candidate of playing the race card during the political campaign. Zac Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond Park, defended earlier comments where he described Mr Khan as divisive and radical. Sources on the Khan campaign had described Mr Goldsmith’s messaging as a possible “coded racist attack” designed to refer to the Labour candidate’s Islamic faith. “I think he is playing with fire, I don't think there is anything more divisive than playing the race card when clearly, unambiguously that does not apply,” Mr Goldsmith told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “It's very obvious what I was referring to when I described him as a 'radical candidate' as part of a radical process that has envel...

    Conservative MP Johnny Mercer Johnny Mercer, a former soldier in Afghanistan, uses his old army sleeping bag to stay warm - but insists he 'loves' the unusual set-up One of the Tory Party's rising stars has revealed how he is living on a boat in east London while attending Parliament to avoid "obscene" house prices in the capital. Johnny Mercer, a former solider in Afghanistan elected in May, decided to bring his boat up from the South coast and moor it near Canada Water rather than rent a flat. The set-up sees the 34-year-old survive without central heating or a shower but he says he prefers the reminder of family life to a hotel room. The choice will see the Plymouth Moor View MP claim just £2,400 a year in expenses for accommodation - far less than the £23,000 politicia...

    Londoners and tourists woke up on Saturday morning to find public transport unexpectedly free across the capital, thanks to a technical glitch. Barriers at many Tube stations were left open and no payment was required on buses because of a fault with sensors that read Oyster and contactless payment cards. It came as Transport for London’s (TfL) annual New Year fare rises kicked in, with an average increase of one per cent across the network. A spokesperson said contractors were working to fix the glitch as soon as possible but commuters were in no hurry. Thanks @TfL, wrote one passenger on Twitter. I was expecting to pay the new 2nd of Jan fares in the tube but the whole oyster ticketing system is down! Free journey for me! Time to use the tube. The Oyster system is down a...

    Thousands of police officers watched over New Year revellers as the night sky above London was illuminated by a spectacular fireworks display. Crowds gathered on the banks of the Thames and in city centres across the UK to see the start of 2016. Around 3,000 officers were deployed across central London, including firearms police, at a time of heightened global security in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. Many braved the intermittent spells of rain awaiting a midnight display featuring around 12,000 fireworks which produced 50,000 projectiles. The celebrations went ahead as planned, despite a similar display in Brussels being cancelled due to safety concerns. The Edinburgh Hogmanay also saw several firework displays above the city's castle, as well as a performance fro...

    Extra armed officers have been called in to police New Year's Eve celebrations in central London amid a Europe-wide warning that terrorists could be plotting an attack. Tickets have sold out for the London Mayor’s official fireworks display on the South Bank. Those without tickets are being advised to see the new year in at home or at bars across the capital. The Metropolitan Police said the enhanced patrols are "purely precautionary and not as a result of any specific intelligence". Sky sources said some officers have had leave cancelled to bolster numbers. Around 3,000 officers will be on duty in central London, Scotland Yard said. Superintendent Jo Edwards added: "Our policing plan remains under constant review and the public can expect to see additional police officers...

    Newham in east London experienced the biggest rise in property values during 2015, according to Halifax, as buyers priced out of the heart of the capital looked for houses within commuting distance of the city. Stamp duty changes have made it more expensive to buy houses at the top end of the market, meaning Kensington and Chelsea was among the top 10 areas showing the weakest property growth last year, with prices up just 1%. In contrast, prices in Newham jumped 22%, while Royston in Hertfordshire and the London boroughs of Redbridge, Enfield, Croydon and Bexley were also in the top 10 risers. Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales was the worst performer in the Halifax survey, with prices down 3.8%, followed by Colwyn Bay in north Wales, and Durham, north-east England. Halifax’s ...