Society
‘Whatever life throws at us, we don’t walk alone’: how a London synagogue attack birthed an act of solidarity
April 18, 2026“How good and how wonderful it is when friends sit together,” reads a quote from the Psalms painted high on the wall inside Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS). For the congregation gathering in a cheerful hubbub before its Shabbat service on Friday evening, that felt like an especially apt sentiment. Three days after the synagogue was […]
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Londoners may regret protest votes for Reform or Greens in local elections, says Sadiq Khan
April 8, 2026Sadiq Khan has said he can understand why some former Labour voters are “flirting” with other parties in the run-up to May’s elections, but said that they may regret seeing a Green or Reform-led council in their areas. Speaking to the Guardian at a youth centre, where he was announcing new funding for facilities for […]
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Do we really need truncheons and pepper spray to fight off London’s ‘feral’ teenage shoplifters? | Zoe Williams
April 6, 2026Last week, some teenagers in the Clapham area of south-west London started running up and down the high street. The terms used to describe them ranged from “feral gang” to “chaotic swarm”; evidently, it is in the eye of the beholder as to whether they were closer to animals or insects. Definitely, positively, some of […]
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Met interviews women suspected of facilitating Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged sexual abuse
March 6, 2026Three women have been interviewed under caution on suspicion of facilitating one of Britain’s worst sexual abuse scandals, involving the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed and his alleged attacks over four decades. Scotland Yard said 154 women may have been raped or sexually assaulted by Fayed, or been subject to human trafficking and sexual […]
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Lucy Letby case expert witness was under fitness-to-practise investigation during trial
March 3, 2026A doctor who gave crucial expert evidence about insulin poisoning for the prosecution of the nurse Lucy Letby was under investigation by the medical regulator at the time due to serious concerns about his fitness to practise. The General Medical Council (GMC) opened an investigation into concerns about Prof Peter Hindmarsh, including that he had […]
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TikTok and Snapchat posts urge London pupils to join ‘school wars’ fights
February 26, 2026Pupils aged 11 to 16 are being encouraged to join in school fights in posts circulating on TikTok and Snapchat, prompting police to urge children not to get involved. The Metropolitan police have asked social media platforms to ban accounts promoting “school wars”, while headteachers have warned parents about the posts. One of the posts […]
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Body diversity returns to London fashion week as wider industry heads ultra-thin
February 22, 2026Body diversity has made a comeback at London fashion week despite a wider shift towards ultra-thinness in the fashion industry. Emerging designers including Karoline Vitto, Phoebe English and Sinead Gorey included a wide range of body shapes on catwalks over the past four days. Sizes have ranged from a UK size 10-16, a category referred […]
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Chelsea flower show seeks new charity sponsors after mystery donors end support
February 21, 2026Chelsea flower show is looking for new charity sponsors after the mystery philanthropic couple who have spent more than £23m on show gardens end their support. Project Giving Back was set up by two anonymous donors in 2022, and since then it has paid for 63 gardens at the most prestigious horticultural event in the […]
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Met had ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, says spycop who tricked women into sexual relationships
February 11, 2026An undercover officer who deceived three women into sexual relationships said his superiors did nothing to prevent him from doing so, the spycops public inquiry has heard. Jim Boyling, who infiltrated environmental and animal rights activist groups for five years, said senior managers turned a blind eye to undercover officers having deceitful sexual relationships with […]
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‘Plainly wrong’: London flat dwellers fight shock £200,000 heating bill
February 7, 2026‘If I could move, I would – to a place without a heat network. But I can’t while this debt is hanging over me,” says Anja Georgiou. The mother lives with her family in a rented flat in the River Gardens development in Greenwich in south-east London where, three years ago, residents were shocked to […]
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