Hello from The National and welcome to the View from London – your weekly guide to the big stories from our London bureau
Changing face of Billionaires' Row
One of the most exclusive addresses in Britain, for a century a magnet for some of the wealthiest people in the country, is evolving as buyers seeking safety look beyond central London.
The Bishops Avenue, in north London, is known for its status mansions set in palatial grounds, but to the chagrin of locals, many of the properties are rarely lived in. Several have been empty for years, sometimes decades, gathering value but squeezing available residential space.
Now, some of the plots are being divided into several homes, with luxury apartments replacing the monolithic mansions. The latest to be launched is Bishops Avenue Gardens, a development of 36 two-to-four bedroom residences priced between £2.5 million ($3.3 million) and £8.8 million.
At the sales launch I attended, safety and security were frequently mentioned as among the main reasons to buy there.
Although central London is still a focal point for international buyers, it has seen its reputation nosedive due to the risk of falling victim to an e-bike "ride-by" phone mugging, "Rolex Ripper" watch theft or violent knife crime, even if the fear factor far outweighs the reality. Luxury stores like Harrods have even begun using non-branded bags so shoppers don't draw attention to their purchases when they step outside.
Figures released yesterday showed the numbers of murders, knife crimes and street robberies in London have actually fallen significantly, leading Mayor Sadiq Khan to say: “There are some politicians and commentators who continue to denigrate London and talk our great city down, but the facts are showing a very different picture.”
That might not stop the super wealthy casting their eye over alternatives to their usual haunts of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Kensington.
“The wealthy no longer require 11 bedrooms and a dining room that seats 20,” said Alex Michelin, founder and chief executive of property developer Valouran, which is behind the project.
Prime central London house prices peaked in 2014 and have since experienced a decade of decline of more than 20 per cent, according to real estate agent Savills.
Conversely, north-west London has remained resilient, with its prime market growing by 4.1 per cent over the past five years.
Trevor Abrahmsohn, founder of Glentree Estates, has sold more than 100 houses on the road over the course of his long career. He describes it as the “Rolls-Royce of North London”.
“Buyers are increasingly seeking homes that offer state-of-the-art amenities, a dedicated concierge and round-the-clock security,” he said.
Those considering the leafy heathlands of Hampstead instead of the bustle of central London may take some convincing to head back into town.
“We're making good progress but there's clearly much more to do,” said Mr Khan. “That's why there will be no let-up in our city-wide effort to further reduce serious violence and protect more Londoners as we continue building a safer London for everyone.”
Peace process
A peace fund modelled on an initiative from Northern Ireland could be launched by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer within months, as the UK seeks to bolster its role as a peacemaker in the Gaza conflict.
But critics spoken to by The National say that a key element from the Northern Ireland peace process is missing in the Gaza plan: the inclusion of Palestinian voices.
“There are many lessons to apply from Northern Ireland but I don't see them reflected in the Gaza peace plan,” says mediator Oliver McTernan, founder of resolution charity Forward Thinking, who has worked on both conflicts.
The UK government will wrap up a three-day summit for the reconstruction of Gaza today, which began as Mr Starmer attended a signing ceremony in Egypt finalising the truce on Monday.
Mr Starmer said in Cairo that the UK was ready to “play its full part” in monitoring the ceasefire and decommissioning Hamas’s capability and weaponry. He said the UK would draw on its experience of decommissioning the IRA and other paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.
There are expectations now that Mr Starmer will lead efforts by the E3, a coalition also comprising France and Germany, to set out a reconciliation strategy that deals with issues such as trauma and dehumanisation.
Their inaugural meeting would take place by December and include backing for the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, according to its organisers, the Alliance of Middle East Peace (Allmep), a coalition of more than 160 NGOs.
Mr Starmer had pledged to support the fund at the end of last year, but a planned fundraising conference in April did not take place. The fund aims to support civil society and peace builders in Israel and Palestine, to bring about reconciliation.
It has been modelled on the International Fund for Ireland, which was founded by the British and Irish government in 1986 to support peace-building initiatives between nationalists and unionists.
Allmep officials say this helped create conditions for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, but they also acknowledge that the devastation in Gaza is greater than the experience in Northern Ireland, changing the requirements.
“Since October 7, the Israel-Palestine conflict jumped to a different level. Gaza has been devastated to levels that Northern Ireland never was,” said John Lyndon, executive director of Allmep.
“By developing a civil society strategy, like with this international fund concept, we can ensure that diplomacy has a ground game and can engage ordinary Palestinians,” he said.
Drone warning
After watching events in the Middle East, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said he hoped Mr Trump could be “as forceful” in ending the war in Ukraine.
Mr Sikorski unveiled an Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drone, which had been used by Russia in Ukraine, at the Speaker’s House in the UK Parliament on Tuesday.
Iran has supplied 6,000 of these drones to Russia, and they were a sign of the “deep co-operation” between the two countries, he said.
The drone was acquired from Ukraine by United Against Nuclear Iran.
“I just hope that President Trump is as forceful with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin as he has reportedly been with the leaders in the Middle East,” Mr Sikorski said.
He said the only way to end the war was not a compromise but to make it clear to Mr Putin that he could not win.
"We shouldn't be deterring ourselves, we should be making Putin wonder what we're going to do next."
Mr Sikorski also urged the Iranian government to “stop wasting resources” of its nation on its uranium enrichment programme and “become a normal country, not a cause”.
Read more
The National produces a variety of newsletters across an array of subjects. You can sign up here. To receive The Editor's Briefing, our Editor-in-Chief's weekly newsletter – exclusive to registered readers – that rounds up the top stories of the week, sign up here.
