London is back to its booming pre-Brexit and pre-Covid levels, the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan has said.
The UK capital is soaring ahead on the tourism and transport fronts, he said, even before the busy summer season.
“I think we’re back,” Mr Khan told the Financial Times. “If you look at public transport numbers at weekends, tourism and leisure is back.”
With a population of nine million, London was one of the world’s most visited cities before being brought to a standstill by the coronavirus outbreak.
Like others cities across Britain and beyond, London’s economy took a battering from the shutdown.
Since being elected as London’s first Muslim mayor in 2016, Mr Khan has clashed with Tory politicians over policies affecting the capital.
During the pandemic, he secured several bailouts worth hundreds of millions of pounds to keep the Transport for London (TfL) network afloat.
Conservative MPs and the then-prime minister Boris Johnson accused the mayor of mismanaging money.
Mr Khan said the city had been subjected to an attitude of ill will by successive Conservative government.
But he expressed hope that his dealings with No 10 Downing Street would improve if Labour wins power at the next general election.
The party, led by Keir Starmer, is soaring ahead of the Tories in the latest polls.
Mr Khan is expected to run — and win — a third term as London mayor in 2024. “This anti-London animus isn’t going to go away overnight with a change of government,” he said. “[But] the potential of working with a Labour government that’s pro-London is so incredibly exciting.”
Mr Khan campaigned against Brexit and since the UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016 he has stuck to his position.
He has argued that the drop in immigration from European countries has caused businesses, particularly hotels and restaurants, across London to suffer.
He has urged the government to launch a new scheme for EU citizens to obtain London-only worker visas to help companies fill vacancies.
“Businesses in London complain of two big things: a skills shortage and a labour shortage,” he said. “Some restaurants are doing no lunch sittings because they’ve not got the staff.”
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
