Zac Goldsmith to resign over Heathrow expansion plan

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Pic: Zac Goldsmih
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Zac Goldsmith is set to resign his Commons seat within 48 hours after the government backed a third runway at Heathrow, friends said.
The Tory Richmond Park MP, a long-standing opponent of Heathrow’s expansion, immediately branded the decision “catastrophic” and promised to make a statement imminently.
If he steps down as expected, Theresa May faces a dramatic local revolt as local Conservatives backed him to stand as an independent anti-Heathrow candidate in a by-election.
In a tweet posted within minutes of the government announcing its decision, Mr Goldsmith wrote: “Following the Government's catastrophic Heathrow announcement, I will be meeting my constituents later today before making a statement.”
 Theresa May and the Cabinet today announced their backing for Heathrow's expansion, but the decision immediately sparked protests and legal challenges.
 The £16 billion plan will increase the number of flights at Europe’s busiest airport to more than 700,000 a year by 2030. Theresa May told the Evening Standard it was a decision made “for jobs and growth” and showed that post-Brexit Britain will be an “open, global, successful country”.

Speaking to the Standard after the Cabinet met, the Prime Minister said: “After decades of delay we are showing that we will take the big decisions when they’re the right decisions for Britain, and we will ensure they’re right for ordinary working people too.
“Airport expansion is vital for the economic future of the whole of the UK and today also provides certainty to Londoners. Businesses will know that we are building the infrastructure they need to access global markets. Ordinary, working people will know that my Government backs jobs and growth.
 “We want the benefits of a new runway as quickly as possible, but we will also make sure London and taxpayers get a good deal.”

She indicated the third runway plan includes commitments to increase the number of flights to Scotland and regional airports, adding: “By making sure we improve the links between regional airports and our capital city we can use airport expansion as an opportunity to bring the UK closer together.
“This decision demonstrates that as we leave the EU we can make a success of Brexit and Britain can be that open, global, successful country we all want it to be.

Labour hit with £20,000 fine after ‘Ed Stone’ spending probe

Political reporter(wp/es):
The “Ed Stone” — the defining image of Ed Miliband’s disastrous election campaign — has helped land Labour with the largest fine ever handed out by the Electoral Commission.
The then-Labour leader unveiled the 8ft 6in stone plinth carved with election promises in the run up to the 2015 general election, promising it would stand in Downing Street’s garden if the party won.
However, the stunt was ridiculed and became an emblem for Mr Miliband’s failed campaign.
Today the election watchdog issued the Labour party with a £20,000 fine, with a lengthy investigation finding a catalogue of undeclared election payments including two missing returns for the stone tablet.
Bob Posner, director of party and election finance at the Electoral Commission, said it was vital for well-established parties to “comply with the rules” and report their finances correctly.
 Labour’s election spending was first investigated in January this year when it emerged that two payments worth £7,614 for the “Ed Stone” were missing from the party’s campaign spending return.

Labour’s own review found that there were also 24 items of expenditure worth £109,777 missing from the return.
The Electoral Commission then found further missing payments, including 49 payments relating to costs associated with the Labour Express battle bus tour which ferried activists to constituencies to campaign, and the Labour Students tour worth £11,357.
Altogether the watchdog found Labour had missed 74 payments totalling £123,748, as well as 33 separate invoices totalling £34,392.

Labour treasurer Iain McNicol was found to have committed two civil offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) and does not face criminal proceedings.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “Labour has co-operated fully with the Electoral Commission during its investigation into General Election 2015 campaign spending by political parties.
“The Commission’s investigation found that internal procedural errors led to a relatively small number of items of expenditure not being declared properly. The party regrets these administrative errors. However, these amounted to just over one per cent of our total spending of over £12 million during this election.
“We accept the findings of the report and have already tightened our internal recording procedures to address the Commission’s concerns.”
 The limestone slab was broken up shortly after the general election.

Road submerged under water with 20 homes flooded after water main bursts in south London

Staff reporter(wp/es):
A burst water main caused chaos in south London this morning, with flooding in 20 homes and dozens more at risk.
The flood has closed Camberwell New Road between Camberwell Station Road and Medlar Street.
The road is expected to be closed for some time.
Earlier today, the London Fire Brigade gave out sandbags to protect homes however it is believed water has entered 20 properties.
Drivers have been told to aviod the area.
 Many people took to social media to express amazement at the scenes, with some joking they would need a boat service to get to work.

Tesco boss says prices will rise following Brexit slump in pound

Business reporter(wp/es):
The boss of Tesco today braced customers for price rises in the wake of the pound’s slump after the Brexit vote.
John Allan, the supermarket’s chairman, said it was “very likely” that the cost of some products would go up.
Sterling was trading at about $1.22 this morning, some 17 per cent lower than before the shock June 23 referendum result, and has dropped sharply against the euro.
The decline will almost inevitably push up the cost of imported food and ingredients from overseas for products made in Britain.
“We are trying to defend our customers from unjustified price increases but that it is likely there will be some price increases going forward, I think is very likely,” Mr Allan told BBC radio.

He believes inflation may “nudge up” two or three per cent, with food prices contributing to this — but dismissed suggestions food prices could rise on average by between 10 and 20 per cent, insisting it would be “much less”.
Tesco was seen to have won the “Marmitegate” battle with Unilever after it sought to impose a 10 per cent hike in the cost of products supplied to the supermarket giant.
Mr Allan, also chairman of business group London First, declined to comment on the bust-up but appeared to suggest it had not been such a clear-cut rejection, as portrayed, of any price rises.
He added: “We see our role as retailers not to prevent our suppliers from making legitimate cost increases where they think that’s necessary but certainly scrutinising those cost increases very hard.”

The supermarket chief also warned Theresa May against a draconian clampdown on immigration which could harm the British economy.
He said: “Industries like the agriculture industry, picking and packing fruit and veg and meat, are heavily dependent on migrant workers, not just seasonal migrant workers but people who are here 52 weeks a year.
Our fresh food suppliers are very concerned that is properly taken into account.”

Earlier this month, sterling plunged after the Prime Minister appeared to suggest she was prioritising immigration control over economic concerns.
But yesterday she told MPs the UK can curb immigration and get a good trade deal with the EU. She said: “We are going to be ambitious for what we obtain for the United Kingdom and that means a good trade deal as well as control of immigration.”
Meanwhile, French ambassador Sylvie Bermann said “of course” Britons in France would be allowed to remain after Brexit if the same applied to French nationals here.
She said: “I think it will be dealt with on a reciprocal basis because there [are] 300,000 French citizens in this country, almost the same as UK citizens in France.”

London named 'best perceived' city in the world

 
Pic: London city
Staff reporter(wp/es):
London has been voted the “best perceived” city in the world after triumphing over Paris and New York in a new study.
In the poll of 30 global cities, London also emerged as the best in terms of living up to its perception.
Some 5,200 well-educated adults from 16 countries voted London top based on a variety of factors including culture, entertainment, infrastructure, health and general happiness.
Although the poll, published by consultancy firm PwC, was carried out in December 2015, months before the UK’s vote to leave the EU.
The report states: “London registers as a dynamic city, scoring well across the board in 29 of 36 image attributes.
“It’s No. 1 on attributes including having a well-developed infrastructure, being connected to the rest of the world, and having a well-developed legal framework. It’s in the top three in breadth of education for its population and for providing easy access to capital.”
 The study questioned equal numbers of “business decision makers”, “informed elites” and other general adults on 40 different topics to generate the rankings.

It rated Paris as the second best perceived city, followed by New York in third, Amsterdam in fourth and Sydney in fifth.
In terms of living up to those perceptions, Singapore and Toronto became the new second and third ranked cities respectively.
Nigeria’s capital, Lagos, ranked bottom of both lists while Bogota, Jakarta, Mumbai and several other South American cities also did badly.

Terror arrest after 'chemical incident' at transport hub

Crime reporter(wp/es):
A man has been arrested under counter-terror laws after a "chemical incident" at London City Airport.
Hundreds of people were forced to flee the airport following the incident on Friday, with 27 treated by paramedics and two requiring hospital treatment.
Police later discovered what was thought to CS gas spray, also known as tear gas.
Fire alarms sounded at about 4.15pm and hundreds of passengers were evacuated onto the tarmac outside.
One passenger, PR consultant Kim Fletcher, said: "There was a woman saying at first she thought she could smell deoderant but it became quite noxious with people coughing.
"I arrived after the airport was shut. Everyone was pushed out across the road."

Boxer David Haye tweeted: "Gutted can’t get to Scotland for @JoshTaylorBoxer fight tonight.
"As #CityAirport got evacuated when everyone started coughing uncontrollably!"
David Walker added: "No one has a megaphone so it's an airfield of Chinese whispers and confused looking people."
A spokesman for the Met said: "The man, 25, was arrested at a residential address in east London and taken to a west London police station. He was arrested on suspicion of using a noxious substance to cause serious damage - an offence under section 113 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

"He has since been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in late November.
"Officers from the Aviation Policing CID investigate."

Teenager fighting for life after knife attack in South East London street

Crime reporter(wp/es):
A teenager is fighting for his life tonight after he was found stabbed on a street in south-east London.
The victim, believed to be 18, was rushed to hospital just before 5pm after he was treated in Grove Park Road in Lewisham.
Scotland Yard said detectives from the Trident and Gang Crime Command have been informed as police investigate the attack.
A Met spokesman said: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 4:55pm on Monday to reports of a male suffering from stab injuries on Grove Park Road in Lewisham.

“Officers and London's Air Ambulance attended.
“The victim, believed to be aged 18, was taken to a south London hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

“Detectives from the Trident and Gang Crime Command have been informed. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.”
Pictures taken from the scene show an air ambulance landed on a nearby football pitch while neighbours said roads had been taped off.
One woman tweeted: “Get home to everywhere closed off cause someones been stabbed... lovely.”