Sadiq Khan asks Muslims to pray for Manchester bombing victims in holy month of Ramadan

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has asked London’s Muslim community to pray during Ramadan for those affected by the “appalling and cowardly” attack on Manchester Arena.

In a video statement to mark the beginning of Islam’s holy month, Mr Khan wished Muslims in London and elsewhere a “peaceful and blessed” Ramadan, adding that: “This year in particular our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the appalling and cowardly attack in Manchester just a few days ago, and of course to those affected by the Westminster attack in March.”

He said: “As Ramadan gets underway, I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my very warmest wishes to Muslims both in London and across the world, as we observe this holy month.

“And I hope that all of those who are fasting during these long summer days will find strength and solace in their daily routine.”

Mr Khan added that charitable donations made during Ramadan as the Muslim community comes together make “a huge difference to the lives of those in need”. 

Striking a tone of openness, ended his address with a plea for good interfaith relations.

“Here in London we show that we don’t simply tolerate different faiths, we respect and celebrate them too,” he said, adding: “Our diversity is what makes London the greatest city in the world.”

Plans to link east and West End with city's first 'healthy street'

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Plans have been unveiled to link the East End and West End with London’s first “healthy street”.

London Cycling Campaign is calling for a radical transformation of the so-called “London Boulevard” route from Old Street to Oxford Street via Clerkenwell Road and Theobalds Road.

It wants to turn central London’s “third busiest” cycle route into a safer and less polluted two-mile stretch, with a “cafe society” alfresco atmosphere. 

Some 7,000 cyclists use the east-west route each day despite high levels of traffic and high collision rates. 

The LCC believes its vision fits Mayor Sadiq Khan’s “healthy streets” policy, which seeks to improve air quality, reduce congestion and make public spaces more attractive.

It would also link with proposals for Old Street roundabout, which would convert one of London’s busiest gyratories into a two-way layout, enabling the centre of the roundabout to be transformed and boosting the area’s status as “Tech City”. Simon Munk, LCC’s infrastructure campaigner, said the aim was to provide support for schemes from Transport for London and Camden and Islington councils.

He said: “Tottenham Court Road station is being transformed by Crossrail and there is the Mayor’s pedestrianisation of Oxford Street to come. This [route] is one of the busiest roads in London but it’s incredibly polluted and insanely noisy. The knock-on effect of pedestrianising Oxford Street is going to be huge. There is a huge opportunity to look again at the streets east of Oxford Street.”

The Mayor has yet to decide if cyclists will be allowed to use the pedestrianised Oxford Street. If cyclists are banned, LCC wants a parallel route. At Old Street, TfL proposals first consulted on two years ago — to create a “peninsula” in the centre of the junction by closing the roundabout’s north-east side — are understood to be moving forward.

Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of surface strategy and planning, said he welcomed ideas that improved conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. 

A mayoral spokesman said extended cycle routes were an important part of their “healthy streets” vision.

Student sentenced to 15 years for planting bomb on London tube

Pic: Damon Smith was found guilty of possession of an explosive substance with intent at the Old Bailey in London
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An autistic student has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planting a homemade bomb, built according to instructions in an online magazine linked to al-Qaida, on a London Underground train during morning rush hour.

Damon Smith, 20, constructed the rucksack bomb, which was filled with ball-bearing shrapnel, using a £2 clock from Tesco as an improvised timer, after reading an article titled How To Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of your Mum. It did not go off.

On Friday morning, he smiled in the dock at the Old Bailey in London as the judge, Richard Marks QC, sentenced him to 15 years in a young offender institution, with an extended period of five years on licence. Marks said although Smith had an interest in Islam, he was not motivated by terrorism.

Smith had pleaded guilty to perpetrating a bomb hoax, claiming he intended the device to work as a smoke bomb to stop the train “for a bit of fun”. But after a five-day trial at the Old Bailey, he was found guilty on 3 May of possession of an explosive substance with intent, contrary to the 1883 Explosive Substances Act.

Sentencing him, Marks said: “Quite what your motives were and what your true thinking was in acting as you did is difficult to discern with any degree of clarity or certainty.

“Whatever the position, the seriousness of what you did cannot be overstated, not least against the background of the fear in which we all live from the use of bombs here and around the world, an all too timely reminder of which were the events in Manchester earlier this week.”

Smith has Asperger syndrome and had a keen interest in weapons, which might have been connected to his condition, the jury was told during his trial. He was also interested in gambling and Islam, and had collected photos of extremists, including the ringleader of the 2015 Paris attacks.

He was 19 and studying forensic computing at London Metropolitan University when he left the rucksack containing the bomb on a Jubilee line train on the morning of 20 October 2016. Passengers discovered the device and alerted the driver, triggering a major security alert.

The jury heard that had the bomb worked, it would have detonated as people were being evacuated from North Greenwich tube station.

Smith was Tasered and arrested near Holloway Road in north London the following day. Counter-terrorism officers who subsequently searched his former home in Newton Abbot, Devon, evacuated nearby houses after discovering another possible homemade bomb hidden in the attic.

A search of Smith’s home in Rotherhithe, south-east London, where he had moved with his mother after starting university, found a blank-firing, self-loading pistol and a BB gun, both bought legally, as well as a knuckleduster and a knife that he had showed off in an online video.

Police also found shredded paper with bombmaking instructions on them and a shopping list for “pressure cooker bomb materials” on an iPad he used. The note included a reminder to “keep this a secret between me and Allah #InspireTheBelievers”.

Smith’s barrister, Richard Carey-Hughes QC, said in mitigation that it was a tragic case for Smith and his mother. “This is a difficult climate to ask for mercy for someone convicted of this type of offence,” he said, referring to the suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester on Monday that killed 22 people.

“Nevertheless, we do so and we invite my lord to extend mercy. This case is different. It seems unique and so is this young man.”

In his defence, extracts of a psychiatric report were read out confirming an autism spectrum disorder. Smith had been interested in bombmaking since he was 10 and said it was “something to do when he was bored”.

On the first day of his trial, the judge asked the jury to disregard Smith’s smile as he listened to the prosecution outline the case against him. Smith was “acutely aware that he’s presenting himself in a manner that is odd and unsympathetic”, Carey-Hughes said. On the last full day of his trial, he declined to go into the witness box.

But Marks concluded that Smith was a dangerous offender, telling him: “I am influenced by your history of preoccupation with weapons and bombs, as well as by your condition, which makes it difficult for you to empathise with others and to understand and fully appreciate the very serious potential consequences of your actions, as this incident amply demonstrates.”

Net migration to UK plunges to below 250,000 after exodus of European workers in wake of Brexit

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Warnings of skills shortages were issued today after net immigration fell due to an exodus of European workers after the Brexit referendum.

Construction firms said new housing and infrastructure was under threat by a growing shortage of bricklayers, carpenters and other skilled construction workers from eastern Europe.

Experts said London’s restaurants, hotels and coffee shops could have to “rethink their business models” if the loss of young Europeans becomes worse. Leading universities also echoed fears of losing key staff.

Official figures released this morning showed net long-term immigration falling in 2016 below a quarter of a million for the first time in nearly three years.

There were 248,000 more arrivals than departures, down by 84,000 compared with 2015, said the Office for National Statistics. They included an increase in emigration by EU citizens, up 31,000 to 117,000.

But the most striking change was a big fall in net migration from Poland and the other seven central and eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004. Immigration from these EU8 countries was down by 25,000 to 48,000, while the numbers leaving shot up 16,000 to 43,000.

While the fall in overall numbers was a relief to Theresa May, who has promised to cut levels, business leaders said they endangered economic growth and her ability to deliver manifesto commitments on housing.

Brian Berry, of the Federation of Master Builders, said eastern European labour was “a vital part” of a workforce suffering growing skills shortages.

“Nowhere is this truer than in London, where migrant workers make up nearly half of the industry’s workforce,” he said.

“Over the last decade, those workers have typically been coming in from Eastern European countries. While it’s too early to say for sure whether these latest figures demonstrate a permanent reversal of this trend, there is a concern that they do.”

The Resolution Foundation think tank said all firms that rely on overseas workers would have to adapt - but the hospitality industry would need to rethink the way it does business altogether.

At the Russell Group of leading universities, Sarah Stevens said: “We would be concerned if this national trend reflects a loss of talented EU staff working in UK higher education due to uncertainty over their future rights.”

Sean McKee, at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “This leads to serious questions about how we can build the houses we so desperately need as well as a supporting infrastructure to remain a competitive global city.”

Net immigration from non-EU countries was estimated to be 175,000 - far above the “tens of thousands” level promised by Theresa May for overall immigration even though these numbers can in theory be controlled by the Government because non-EU citizens do not enjoy freedom of movement rights.

Business groups urged Mrs May to drop the target. Jasmine Whitbread, of business group London First, warned:  “Without a clear, fact-based understanding of what we need, turning people away risks damaging our economy at a time when the UK should be firing on all cylinders.”

Edwin Morgan, deputy director of policy at the Institute for Directors, said: “The figures confirm once again how unlikely it is that the Conservatives will hit their tens of thousands target if they are re-elected.”

Tube accidents soar to record high of almost 5,000 a year

Pic:Figures show a sharp increase in accidents on the Tube
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The number of accidents involving passengers on the Tube has risen to a record high of almost 5,000 a year, the Standard reveals today.

It spiralled to 4,928 last year, an 11 per cent increase from 2015, amid fears that overcrowding and fewer staff at smaller stations are fuelling the rise.

There was a sharp increase in accidents at several busier stations, including Baker Street, Bank/Monument, Bond Street, Westminster, Southwark and Tottenham Hale.

Small rises were recorded at dozens of other stations.

The figures for Zones 1-4 led to calls for Transport for London to ensure that the Tube is the “safest in the world”. 

As passenger numbers rise, its bosses are investing millions to improve capacity at key stations including Bank, Bond Street, Victoria and Tottenham Court Road.

There will be more frequent services on several lines to reduce crowding. An extra 325 station workers are being recruited this year after a staffing review that followed ticket office closures.

There were 4,517 accidents in 2014 and 4,439 in 2015, before the sudden increase of 489 last year to 4,928.

Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Carshalton  and Wallington, said: “London Underground must redouble their efforts to make the Tube the safest in the world.”

Richard Freeston-Clough, of London TravelWatch, said: “The figures would suggest that smaller stations with fewer staff around are recording more accidents because staffing is likely to have been reduced.

"Conversely, accidents at bigger stations like Bank/Monument and Baker Street are also increasing because the growth in usage is making them more crowded.”

He said the rise  in accidents highlighted the need for extra staffing and congestion relief.

“Customer fall in gap” accidents were slightly down last year but 62 out of the 282 were at one station, Baker Street.

The high number there has been blamed on the arrival of S-stock trains level with the platform, to aid wheelchair access. This widens the gap at stations with curved platforms.

Dr Karen McDonnell, occupational safety and health policy adviser for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said TfL had a “duty of care” to passengers.

She added: “If a rise in incidents is taking place, then organisations must investigate the causes and do all they can to mitigate the risks.”

Steve Griffiths, the Tube’s chief operating officer, said safety was its “top priority”, with the number of injuries running at one in every four million trips.

“We continue to work hard to reduce this even further, with staff on hand to help customers,” he said.

“We have introduced flashing blue lights to draw attention to gaps between trains and platforms at key locations and we’re investing heavily in adjusting platform edges to narrow gaps.”

Office of Rail and Road statistics indicate that the Tube is the safest big railway in Europe, TfL said.

From this month, the frequency of Victoria line services has risen from 33 trains an hour at peak times to 36. From 2019, lines including the District, Circle, and Metropolitan will have more trains.

The amount of passengers using the Tube is rising, TfL said, up from 1.3 billion in 2014/15 to 1.35 billion in 2015/16.

The number of “fall in gap” cases was just over 280 last year, compared with 293 in 2015 and 269 in 2014.

Some key stations have seen falls in the number of overall accidents — also thought to include people slipping over and falling down stairs — such as Victoria, down from 126 in 2014 to 72 last year, and Oxford Circus, down from 133 to 118.

Manchester bombing appeals raise £2.3m for victims' families

Pic:Tributes left in central Manchester to the victims of Monday night’s bomb attack. 
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Fundraising pages set up for the families of those killed in the Manchester attack have raised more than £2.3m in an outpouring of compassion for victims, JustGiving has said.

More than 200 people have set up JustGiving pages for individual victims of the terrorist atrocity, which left 22 people dead and more than 60 injured.

Members of the public have also set up 185 pages to raise money for all the victims of the attack. JustGiving said all the money raised by individuals for specific victims was being held in quarantine while checks were carried out to ensure the fundraisers were legitimately raising money for families.

The money raised so far does not include a pledge of £1m from the city’s two football clubs.

A spokesman for JustGiving said in most cases where fundraising pages had been set up for individual victims, the company would work with Greater Manchesterpolice to try to pass the money straight to the families rather than to the fundraisers.

The money raised includes donations to an appeal set up by the Manchester Evening News and another by the British Red Cross. These have reached £1.3m and £808,000 respectively.

The pages set up by members of the public have raised more than £200,000.

JustGiving emailed fundraisers on Wednesday night to inform them that the money would be placed in quarantine while checks were carried out to verify that those behind the fundraising had connections with the families involved and were not involved in any fraudulent activity.

“We will start speaking to the individuals who have set up pages for specific victims about whether they have personal links with the families,” said a spokesman for JustGiving. “We are working with Greater Manchester police and we think in the vast majority of cases the page owner will say can you pass the money on.

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“None of this money will be released until we are satisfied and if someone refused to allow us to pass money on to the families ourselves then obviously that would raise concerns with us.

“In 99 out of 100 cases crowdfunding pages are set up by friends of the families, people with a connection to the family, but it is slightly different with the Manchester attack because there has been an outpouring of compassion from people who might not necessarily know the family involved.”

More than 30 concerns have been raised by members of the public about the legitimacy of JustGiving pages set up for victims’ families. The complaints are being investigated by members of JustGiving including fraud experts.

“It is a very complex thing from our side because it is very hard to make judgment on someone’s intentions which is why we have taken the preventative step of putting everything into quarantine while we establish the intentions of those behind the pages,” the spokesman said.

JustGiving charges commission fees of 2% and 5% to manage the pages. The company has made a donation of £50,000 to the British Red Cross appeal page.

Rail inquiry verdict on Gatwick passenger death

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Investigators say they have found no evidence to explain why a passenger put his head out of a train window, which led to his death when he was struck by a signal gantry.

Simon Brown was on a Gatwick airport to London Victoria train when the accident occurred near Balham, south London. The Gatwick Express train was travelling at about 61mph at the time of the incident on 7 August last year, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

A post-mortem report found no traces of drugs or alcohol, and evidence suggests Brown, 24, was not taking photographs, according to the report.

The window was in a door opposite a guard’s compartment and was not intended for passenger use, although it was accessible to anyone travelling on the train.

Investigators noted that a yellow sticker on the door warning people not to lean out of the window when the train was moving was in a “cluttered environment” among other information signs. “It is not possible to say whether the lack of conspicuity of the warning notice was a factor in the accident,” the RAIB said.

The distance between the section of the window where Brown’s head was positioned and the signal gantry, believed to have been installed in 1952, was found to be 26cm. Although the clearance complied with standards for existing structures, it was less than an industry-recommended minimum for new structures where there are trains with opening windows.

The report recommended that Network Rail, in collaboration with train operators, introduce a process for sharing data regarding clearances between structures and trains at window height so that operators can make “more informed decisions” about the management of risk associated with opening windows.

Brown was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance staff. British Transportpolice treated the incident as non suspicious.

Brown was described by friends as a “lifelong railway fanatic”. Originally from East Grinstead, West Sussex, he had volunteered on the Bluebell Railway as a nine-year-old and had recently taken up a position as an engineering technician with Hitachi Rail Europe in Bristol.