Category: London

  • Brandon Lewis – 2022 Speech at the Approbation Ceremony for the New Lord Mayor of London

    Brandon Lewis – 2022 Speech at the Approbation Ceremony for the New Lord Mayor of London

    The speech made by Brandon Lewis, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, at the Robing Room at the Palace of Westminster on 17 October 2022.

    My Lord Mayor Elect, I am commanded by His Majesty the King to express His Majesty’s express approval of the choice of the citizens of London in electing you to be Lord Mayor for the coming year.

    I think we’ll all be acutely aware that the last time those words were spoken, it was on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s behalf – and that this will be the first time in living memory that this ceremony has referred to His Majesty the King.

    I am delighted to welcome you, Lord Mayor Elect, as well as your wife and soon to be Lady Mayoress, Felicity and other distinguished guests – to formally convey this message on His Majesty’s behalf.

    Let me also thank the Recorder of London and High Steward of Southwark for his address – and congratulate on him on being one of the few people in public life with a title as long and complicated as mine.

    I would also like to recognise the late Lord Mayor, Vincent Keaveny’s time in office. My late Lord Mayor, your year at Mansion House has been characterised by the theme of “People and Purpose”.

    You have visited countless countries to promote the City and UK legal services, received ministers and ambassadors from around the world, and spoken out on a range of issues – from social mobility to climate change and digital trade.

    As the first Irish citizen to be the Lord Mayor of London, it was no surprise to see you award the Freedom of the City to Ed Sheeran, who is himself of Irish descent. However, I don’t think there could be anything more British than seeing you lead 1,000 people driving sheep over London Bridge! Thank you again for all that you have done for the City of London.

    Now let me turn to the Lord Mayor Elect. Nicholas, I note that you were also born in Ireland – as they say, you wait 692 Lord Mayors for an Irishman and then two come along at once! Your career in the City has spanned more than four decades and your specialism – advising on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital – is indicative of the theme for your year in office: ‘Financing our Future’.

    The Lord Mayor is, of course, an ambassador for British business, financial and legal services – exporting all that is best of our great capital city at home and abroad. I know a focus for you will be how we use capital and expertise to boost our economy.

    My own job as Lord Chancellor is to promote English and Welsh law and the legal services that underpin our economy; and the Government has been very clear that economic growth is our first priority – so, our aims are very much aligned.

    London is, of course, at the heart of that world-beating legal services sector. The facts speak for themselves. Legal services contribute some 29 billion gross value added to our economy each year… Including billions in trade surplus and tax, as well as employing over 350,000 people directly.

    It isn’t just British businesses that benefit from the UK’s legal excellence.

    Companies from around the world carry out their business transactions here in the UK – because of our system’s reputation for probity and predictability. In fact, last year more than half of all commercial cases in the UK were brought by international businesses.

    Our legal services are undoubtedly one of our greatest exports – supporting the growth of global trade and investment not just in London but across the UK. That’s why, through our GREAT Legal Services campaign, we are doing even more to promote the English and Welsh law abroad… and, of course, London as the world’s pre-eminent centre for dispute resolution.

    It’s no coincidence that the largest international law firms in London have between 45% and 65% of their lawyers based outside of the country, demonstrating again that London is at the forefront of the way the world does business.

    But I know another focus for you, Lord Mayor Elect, will be competitiveness. As ever, we have competition – from the likes of the USA, Germany and Singapore among others. Competition is healthy but, particularly in challenging times – a world still recovering from the pandemic, and now rising to immense cost-of-living challenges – it’s crucial that we do everything to stay ahead of the game.

    So, ensuring our legal services continue to keep pace with the rest of the world… That they continue to innovate… and stay at the forefront of new ways of working… Couldn’t be more important. Similarly, we must also make sure that the law evolves to provide certainty on emerging technologies – providing certainty to the businesses that use them.

    As Lord Chancellor, I have pledged to do all I can to support legal innovation. I want the UK to be a global hub for lawtech, in the same way it has been with fintech. And I want to see our regulatory system continue to enable legal innovators to do what they do best – to innovate in the interests of better outcomes. It’s this combination of the two that will enable us to keep our world-leading status.

    My Lord Mayor Elect, I know you share our goals. The City has a long, successful history and the theme for your year in office – ‘Financing our Future’ – is all about promoting both resource and resilience. Your focus on getting capital and expertise in the right places will undoubtedly drive our economy and make us even more competitive.

    As we look ahead, I am convinced that together we can achieve so much for the City of London and for the UK more broadly. I’m looking forward to working in tandem with you to promote UK legal services and get the economy growing again. I think I might give the sheep drive a miss, however!

    I wish you and the future Lady Mayoress well for your year in office. Thank you.

  • Suella Braverman – 2022 Statement on Standards in Policing

    Suella Braverman – 2022 Statement on Standards in Policing

    The statement made by Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, on 17 October 2022.

    The public rightly expects the highest standards of behaviour from police officers and the vast majority meet this expectation.

    But recently too many high-profile incidents and reports, especially in London, have damaged trust.

    This cannot continue.

    It’s unfair on the public and lets down other serving officers.

    Culture and standards in the police must improve.

    And where an officer has fallen seriously short of these expectations, demonstrable, public action must be taken.

    It’s absolutely vital that the police act to restore trust, return to common sense policing and treat the public and victims with the respect they deserve.

    I welcome the Met Police’s commitment to tackling the issues raised in the Baroness Casey report and hope this review will also help to address underlying concerns.

  • Sam Tarry – 2022 Statement on Deselection

    Sam Tarry – 2022 Statement on Deselection

    The statement made by Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, on 11 October 2022.

    I am utterly crestfallen by the result in the Ilford South selection last night. Not for myself, but for the good people of Ilford who deserve better than to have been at the centre of a manufactured political circus.

    I am extremely concerned about the result, which does not reflect the feeling my campaigners met on the ground talking day in day out to members, or the extensive meticulous data we gathered on the campaign.

    I am taking some time to consider what’s next, but in order to be assured of the integrity of the result I am asking the party to share with me the full information of who cast electronic votes, by what method, and when they were cast, which I understand is available in the ‘anonyvoter’ system.

    In the meantime, I will continue to represent the people of Ilford South the way I have done for the past three years – with integrity, generosity and inclusivity. Thank you to my amazing team of volunteers on the ground who are the best of Ilford.

    Sam.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Support from Londoners for ULEZ

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Support from Londoners for ULEZ

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 10 October 2022.

    Air pollution in our city is contributing to children growing up with stunted lungs and older Londoners developing dementia.

    The ULEZ has already made a big difference – reducing air pollution by nearly half in central London and helping us to tackle the climate emergency. It’s clear that Londoners now want the zone to be expanded given the immense harm air pollution is still causing in our city – from cancer to dementia. Expansion of the ULEZ would lead to five million more people being able to breathe cleaner, less polluted air.

    In making my decision I will carefully consider all responses to the public consultation and Londoners’ views.

    I don’t want us to miss out on any opportunities to protect Londoners from toxic air so that we can continue building a healthier, cleaner and greener London for everyone.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Violence in London

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Violence in London

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 7 October 2022.

    I am committed to tackling violence and building a safer city for all Londoners.

    My approach of being tough on violence through the hard work of our police and tough on the complex causes of violence, is showing signs of progress. Overall, crime continues to fall in London, bucking the national trend, with knife crime with injury for under 25s and gun crime both down. However, it’s clear more needs to be done in partnership to continue making progress.

    Partnership work from prevention to enforcement is vital to tackling violence and the work my VRU does alongside the NHS and its violence reduction programme is a fantastic example of working together to identify opportunities to intervene early to divert young people and help them access positive life opportunities.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Statement on the Government’s Fiscal Statement

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Statement on the Government’s Fiscal Statement

    The statement made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 23 September 2022.

    The measures in this Budget are not only unfair, but will put public finances on an unsustainable footing, which risks harming our economy for years to come.

    As the country grapples with the worst cost of living crisis in decades, the Chancellor has today prioritised massive unfunded tax giveaways for the wealthy, rather than helping those households that are really struggling.

    There is not enough in today’s Fiscal Statement to help those families and businesses who need support the most.

    Today was a missed opportunity from the Chancellor who could have made a real difference to millions of Londoners by providing free school meals to all primary school children, uplifting Universal Credit and ensuring that the most vulnerable receive a basic amount of free energy. He should also have given me the power to freeze private rents in London, which would save people £3,000 over two years.

    Instead the Government has chosen to bring in an swathe of tax cuts that they admit will disproportionately benefit the most wealthy in society. Londoners who are struggling to make ends meet will be disappointed at the lack of immediate help today.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments Following Disorder Outside Iranian Embassy

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments Following Disorder Outside Iranian Embassy

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 26 September 2022.

    The scenes that took place last night were completely unacceptable. The selfish minority who attempted to hijack a peaceful protest must be brought to justice.

    The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, but violence and attacks on our police and communities will never be tolerated. I am in close contact with the Met Commissioner and the police have my full support in pursuing those behind the disorder.

    On behalf of all Londoners, I wish all the officers injured a swift recovery and urge anyone with information on those involved to call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Samson Kambalu Artwork on Fourth Plinth

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Samson Kambalu Artwork on Fourth Plinth

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 28 September 2022.

    I’m delighted that Samson Kambalu’s inspiring sculpture has become the latest to take its place on the Fourth Plinth. Our world-renowned sculpture prize entertains, educates and inspires. Samson is shining a light on an often overlooked part of our country’s history and I’m sure it will encourage discussion about the fight for freedom and equality. As we continue to fight against racism and stand-up for equality across our city and country, it is a message that remains just as important today.

  • Jefferson Bosela – 2022 Comments on Shooting of Chris Kaba

    Jefferson Bosela – 2022 Comments on Shooting of Chris Kaba

    The comments made by Jefferson Bosela, a cousin of Chris Kaba and spokesman for the family, on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on 13 September 2022.

    INTERVIEWER

    [How did you hear about the death?]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    The police claim that Chris died around midnight, but the family found out at 11 o’clock, you know, so that was 11 hours later. So his Mum would have woken up, gone to work not knowing that her son wasn’t alive anymore. You know, and yesterday at the vigil, that that’s one thing that she kept saying, ‘I didn’t even spend the last few minutes of your life with you, what was you saying Chris, was you asking for me?’ and that was like heart wrenching.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Did the police come and tell her the news?]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    I’m not sure if it was the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct] or the police. One of them came in eventually and told her.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked what the family felt like now that a police officer had been suspended and an investigation had begun]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    Well, we welcome that decision. Let’s be honest, I think the second a criminal investigation was opened he should have been suspended from there. In fact, the IOPC are moving a bit too slow. You know, first we wanted a criminal investigation opened and that took for three to four days, and then the officer being suspended took another two days. So it seems that there is no urgency in the dealings of this quite tragic matter.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked whether the family were happy to let the investigation run its course or whether they had questions of their own]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    We definitely have questions, for example, you know initially we wanted to find out whether the car had been searched on Wednesday, even though the incident happened on Monday night, they couldn’t tell us that. Eventually they told us that the car was searched, but they couldn’t tell us if whether found a weapon. They then told us after three hours, so you know, they’re very slow, but the question we’re asking now is, were they following the car or were they following Chris? Because what they’re saying is that the car was flagged in our ANPR[ Automatic Number Plate Recognition] system, but now we know that the car was not registered in Chris’s name. So that means that it could have been anyone in that car. We need to know the difference between whoever they were following Chris, or whether they were following the suspected owner of the car.

    INTERVIEWER

    [This is crucial, was Chris in his own vehicle?]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    It wasn’t registered in his name, I can tell you that much. He was alone in the car as well at the time, but whether or not that was his own car I can’t confirm or deny. But, I can say it wasn’t registered in his name.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Is it possible that it was the car which had been linked to a firearms incident earlier?]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    If that’s what the police watchdog are saying and, you know, they’re carrying out a criminal investigation and I’m not here to confirm or deny that. But that’s not necessarily the matter here, the matter is whether Chris was unlawfully killed by a police officer. There is no evidence the car was linked to firearms because I’ve known people and heard of people who were in vehicles which were linked to firearms and they came out alive. So the question is, what went on in the night that led to him being killed? This is why the family are immediately and urgently demanding that we see both body cam footage of the incident and also aerial footage that was taken from the helicopter.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked whether the family had asked the Met for this or whether it was now part of the investigation]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    As much as the property belongs to the police, and the IOPC right now are dealing with the investigation, so they have the property or the information, so we’ve demanded it from them. I think it was yesterday that we we sent a request, or the day before, so we’re waiting for updates on that.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked if the family had been given a timescale for the investigation]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    No, no, we have not. They’ve been extremely vague throughout the whole investigation in terms of just very simple details, for example, was the car registered to Chris? It took us nearly a week to find out. So equally when it comes to them explaining how long the investigation will take, they’ve been just as vague, telling us it’s like how long is a piece of string. They’re not really being helpful and I think that definitely causes a lot of upset, not just for the family, but for the local community as well.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked how close he was to Chris]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    I was really close to him, he was my cousin, he was more more like a best friend. We’re really, really tight and even though we didn’t speak every single day, when whenever I saw him it was always love. I always say that he had a gift of making people feel special and I definitely felt that.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked if they were the same age]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    I’m 27, he’s 24, or he was 24.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked if they grew up closely together]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    Yes, 100%, we grew up extremely close as we’re Congolese. For those who know the Congolese community, we’re quite a small community in London so everyone knows each other, which means we’re probably a bit closer and more tight than the the ordinary community or the ordinary family.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Asked how his mother was coping]

    JEFFERSON BOSELA

    She’s just absolutely gutted, she’s just devastated and she doesn’t know why this happened. She’s questioning God, she’s asking God like what did I do so wrong for this to be for me? She’s just in pain, she’s just inconsolable. Every meeting we’ve had with the IOPC in which his Mum has been attending, she’s just been crying throughout. She’s cried throughout every single meeting, whether it was with the lawyers or the IOPC.

     

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Statement on Chris Kaba

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Statement on Chris Kaba

    The statement made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 9 September 2022.

    This is a significant development [the IOPC Investigation]. From the outset I have been in close touch with the independent police watchdog, the IOPC, who said they would be thorough and go wherever the evidence took them. Their investigation has now resulted in the launch of a homicide investigation into Chris Kaba’s death.

    My heartfelt sympathies remain with Chris Kaba’s family, friends and loved ones, who are having to come to terms with a young life cut short.

    I fully understand the grave concerns and impact of Chris’ death on Black Londoners across our city and the anger, pain and fear it has caused – as well as the desire for justice and change.

    I appreciate that there are many unanswered questions and I want to reassure all of London’s communities that I will continue to push for these to be answered.