Labour split as Sadiq Khan threatens to take government to court over Heathrow expansion
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/heathrow-third-runway-sadiq-khan-london-b2799803.html
London mayor says he will consider ‘all options’ including suing the government
Sir Sadiq Khan has threatened legal action against the government over its controversial plans to allow a third runway at Heathrow.
The London mayor doubled down on his opposition to the plans, warning that it will have a “severe impact” in terms of noise and air pollution and leave Britain’s climate targets in jeopardy.
But the chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was “essential” that the UK increases its airport capacity.
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Rachel Reeves has already said a challenge to the expansion plans, part of her and Sir Keir’s push to get the economy growing, would fail.
The defiant chancellor said she has “huge respect” for Sir Sadiq, who is one of the most influential figures in the Labour Party, but she said she disagrees with the London mayor and is confident the third runway will go ahead.
Far more of this article at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/heathrow-third-runway-sadiq-khan-london-b2799803.html. I try to avoid featuring the Independent …
Islamophobic posts about Sadiq Khan more than double in a year, analysis shows
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/25/sadiq-khan-islamophobic-abuse-doubles
Most Islamophobic content referring to London mayor, a prominent voice against online abuse, was on X
The number of Islamophobic posts aimed at Sadiq Khan has more than doubled in a year, according to fresh analysis that suggests the London mayor remains a lightning rod for racist abuse.
Almost 28,000 social media posts referring to Khan included a key Islamophobic phrase last year, a huge increase on the 12,000 sent a year earlier and a more than eight-fold increase from 2022, according to the analysis commissioned by the Greater London authority (GLA).
This year, Khan has already been mentioned alongside Islamophobic keywords 2,180 times. The vast majority of abuse was posted on X, with a record number of posts referring to Khan posted from the UK in the past year. The research found that 89% of the offending Islamophobic posts about Khan since 2015 had originated on the platform.
Khan has been one of the most prominent voices speaking about online abuse, warning that the west must now face up to a “century-defining challenge” after a resurgence of the far right. He has criticised X’s owner, Elon Musk, whom he blames for making the problem of online abuse far worse. Under Musk, the accounts of far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson have been reinstated.
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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/25/sadiq-khan-islamophobic-abuse-doubles
London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas
People in London have been breathing significantly cleaner air since the expansion of the ultra low emission zone (Ulez), a study has found.
Levels of deadly pollutants that are linked to a wide range of health problems – from cancer to impaired lung development, heart attacks to premature births – have dropped, with some of the biggest improvements coming in the capital’s most deprived areas.
Sadiq Khan had faced severe opposition to the 2023 expansion of Ulez to outer London boroughs. But on Friday as the report was published, the mayor of London said the scheme had driven down pollution, taken old polluting cars off the roads and brought cleaner air to millions more people.
He said: “When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London’s air pollution within legal limits if the current efforts continued. However, due to our transformative policies we are now close to achieving it this year.”
Several outer London councils mounted unsuccessful legal challenges to the Ulez rollout, and Keir Starmer blamed it for Labour’s defeat in the Ruislip and Uxbridge byelection and called for Khan to “reflect” on his plans.
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Green Party’s Carla Denyer responds to Trump’s re-election as US president
Twitter / X doesn’t seem to be displaying properly https://twitter.com/carla_denyer/status/1854113608147296451
Carla Denyer is co-leader of the England and Wales Green Party and Green Party MP for Bristol Central.
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Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, hit out at the apparent Trump victory, claiming it marks a “dark, dark day for people around the globe.”
He said: “This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.
“The next President of the United States is a man who actively undermines the rule of law, human rights, international trade, climate action and global security. Millions of Americans – especially women and minorities – will be incredibly fearful about what comes next. We stand with them.
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Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, struck a similar tone. He said: “I know that many Londoners will be anxious about the outcome of the US Presidential election. Many will be fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights, or how the result impacts the situation in the Middle East or the fate of Ukraine. Others will be worried about the future of NATO or tackling the climate crisis.
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“The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable. But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever – re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.”