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James Ford

James Ford

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Does the Chancellor hate London?

Does the Chancellor hate London?

By James Ford Well, the wait is finally over. After months of speculation, pre-briefing, kite flying, pitch rolling and seemingly endless rumours,...

tuesday 4

LBC

James Ford

London is getting the wrong new railway

London is getting the wrong new railway

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Thamesmead is the wrong railway, at the wrong price, for all the wrong political reasons, argues James...

26.11.2025 6

City A.M.

James Ford

Sadiq Khan is no Zohran Mamdani

Sadiq Khan is no Zohran Mamdani

(Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images) Mamdani is a young, rising star with no record to defend. By 2028, Sadiq Khan will have been Mayor of...

14.11.2025 4

City A.M.

James Ford

Mayor Polanski? It’s more likely than you think…

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 03: Green Party leader Zack Polanski runs into the hall to deliver his speech on the first day of the Green Party...

31.10.2025 20

City A.M.

James Ford

Cutting affordable housing quotas is a slap in the face for Labour voters

If Labour is no longer in favour of building affordable housing, what exactly is the party for, asks James Ford Housebuilding in London has ground to...

21.10.2025 10

City A.M.

James Ford

Is Sadiq trying to gaslight Londoners about crime? 

The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has this morning announced a £1.4m cash injection for community sport across the capital. The Mayor is...

17.10.2025 8

City A.M.

James Ford

Digital ID cards are a sign of a Groundhog Day government that’s out of ideas

Image generated by Google Gemini Digital ID cards – or ‘Brit cards’ as Starmer calls them – are a Blair-era policy being recycled at the...

03.10.2025 2

City A.M.

James Ford

London needs a shadow Mayor

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 05: A commercial boat makes its way under Tower Bridge on February 05, 2025 in London, England. Campaigners from...

20.09.2025 4

City A.M.

James Ford

Angela Rayner: People in tax-dodge houses shouldn’t throw stones

Angela Rayner’s tax affairs have become a major headache for the Prime Minister Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will be lucky to survive this...

04.09.2025 7

City A.M.

James Ford

When it comes to Sadiq Khan, we all agree with Donald Trump – right?

London Mayor Sadiq Khan continues his crusade against Treasury on the terms of the Spending Review. (Photo by Justin Tallis – WPA Pool/Getty Images)...

08.08.2025 8

City A.M.

James Ford

Labour’s plan to gerrymander London’s mayoral election will backfire

Giving the vote to teenagers may be getting the headlines, but Labour are also planning to rig London’s mayoral elections by restoring supplementary...

25.07.2025 8

City A.M.

James Ford

No one wants to cancel Notting Hill Carnival – but a blank cheque delays the inevitable

17 July 2025, 09:46 By James Ford The Notting Hill Carnival is getting more dangerous and more expensive to stage and police. It needs to change if...

19.07.2025 10

LBC

James Ford

Here’s how failing TfL can restore confidence in our graffiti-riddled Tube

Sky-high pay and bonuses, PR gaffes, and a failure to tackle graffiti and fare dodging suggest that TfL is losing touch with its customers, writes...

11.07.2025 10

City A.M.

James Ford

Driverless taxis will make black cabs extinct – and that’s no bad thing

The imminent advent of ‘robo taxis’ may well be the final nail in the coffin of the London cab trade, suggests James Ford By all accounts, a...

26.06.2025 6

City A.M.

James Ford

How worried should Ed Miliband be about the CBI’s net zero U-turn?

Net zero secretary Ed Miliband is set to face more pressure over high energy bills in the UK. Is the CBI’s about-face on the cost of net zero a...

13.06.2025 10

City A.M.

James Ford

Can banning ‘bare beating’ force people to wear headphones on the tube?

Passenger on the London Underground with phone ‘Headphone dodgers’ who listen to music on the tube with the sound up are easy to hate but...

30.05.2025 10

City A.M.

James Ford

London can’t afford to let rich Nimbys block live music in Brockwell Park

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Sunbathers sit in Brockwell Park with a view of the Gherkin and Shard buildings in the distance on September 13,...

22.05.2025 7

City A.M.

James Ford

Sadiq Khan’s green belt U-turn is an admission of failure on housing

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 08: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan looks on ahead of a celebratory concert to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, or Victory in...

16.05.2025 8

City A.M.

James Ford

Sadiq Khan is squandering the success of the Elizabeth Line

TfL Image – Elizabeth line passengers Despite the popularity and success of the Elizabeth Line, other major transport projects in the capital are...

02.05.2025 30

City A.M.

James Ford

The London taxi trade is dying, and it only has itself to blame

A new report has predicted the demise of the iconic London taxi but it is the cab trade itself – not Uber – that is to blame, writes James Ford ...

18.04.2025 7

City A.M.

James Ford

Is Sadiq Khan finally getting something right on London’s nightlife?

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 26: Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stands on stage at the Ramadan light switch on at Picadilly Circus on February 26, 2025...

21.03.2025 10

City A.M.

James Ford

Sadiq Khan’s plan to ‘turbocharge’ London’s economy is wilfully naive

Sadiq Khan (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI) Sadiq Khan’s London Growth Plan is an admirable and ambitious vision for the capital, but...

04.03.2025 3

City A.M.

James Ford

A four-day week for tube drivers is a slap in the face for Londoners

Members of the Aslef union voted overwhelmingly to walk out on a number of dates in November, to cause maximum disruption. Christmas has come...

12.11.2024 4

City A.M.

James Ford