There is much to like about the mayor of London’s proposals for Oxford Street. The last decade has seen ambitious pedestrianisation schemes in other European cities. But the capital’s busiest shopping street has, until now, held out. Currently, about 16 different bus routes use it, although not private cars during the day. Diverting them, and…

Transport for London (TfL) has experienced a 57% rise in income over five years from fining drivers using major roads in the capital, with a leading motoring organisation saying the transport authority has ensured London’s streets are now “paved with fines”. New figures show it received £89.3m in the 2023/24 financial year for perceived offences…

A radical scheme to speed up the building of more apartment blocks in towns and cities – as opposed to individual houses and bungalows – has been announced by the prime minister on the eve of the Labour party conference. Keir Starmer told the Observer in an exclusive interview that the new system of “planning…

Regents, stand-ins for monarchs who are too young or incapacitated, feature prominently in the history books. Scotland managed six regents for the young David II during the 1330s. Then there’s Richard III’s brief period as lord protector for (and deposer of?) his 12-year-old nephew, Edward. There’s not much call for regents these days. But new…

The Rupert Murdoch-controlled Australian property group REA has upped its proposed offer for Rightmove, the UK’s biggest online property portal, to £5.9bn. REA, in which Murdoch’s News Corporation has a 61% stake, has sweetened its initial proposal by about £300m after Rightmove’s board last week unanimously rejected the first offer as “fundamentally undervaluing” the company.…

Former CEO for Boeing’s defense, space and security subdivision Ted Colbert speaks during a press conference in Dubai on Nov. 16, 2019. Karim Sahib | AFP | Getty Images The head of Boeing‘s defense unit Ted Colbert is leaving the company effective immediately, said CEO Kelly Ortberg, marking his first major executive change since he…

More than 2,000 jobs have been axed and dozens of government construction projects could be paused as ISG, one of the UK’s largest contractors, fell into administration. In the biggest collapse of a UK construction company since Carillion, administrators EY confirmed on Friday that ISG had ceased trading with immediate effect, with the closure of…

Barristers representing the alleged victims of Mohamed Al Fayed have likened the case to that of Jimmy Savile as they spoke to journalists on Friday. The late Harrods owner was described as a ‘monster’ during the press conference held by the legal team who featured in the BBC documentary Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods. More than…

Depending on your age and resistance to change, potentially it never went away, but 34 years after the shock Snickers rebrand the Marathon bar is making a comeback in the UK. The decision to drop the British name for the treat caused uproar back in 1990 and some diehard fans have been complaining about it…

Some of Thames Water’s biggest lenders are considering easing repayment terms as the company fights for survival. The step on the road to a potential restructuring comes as the UK’s biggest water supplier is scrambling to shore up its finances. It has said it has enough cash to keep its operations running until the end…