London’s long-serving mayor, Sadiq Khan, experienced the ups and downs of politics last week in what could be a critical point in the electoral cycle. He was able to enjoy a full-throated attack on his newly minted Conservative rival for the mayoral election in 2024, but he then was blamed when the Labour Party failed to win the Uxbridge by-election.
It was a week that served to remind all that the mayor of this global city has, at best, a patchy record, one that could be exploited by a challenger with a fresh vision for Britain’s international hub. Yet re-election in 2024 to an unprecedented third term in the post looks straightforward for Mr Khan despite the scare Labour suffered with an upset hold for the Conservatives in outer London’s Uxbridge.
Mr Khan’s signature initiative – a “clean up the air” push with the so-called Ulez scheme that involves expanding a tax on polluting vehicles – is being blamed for Labour’s defeat in Uxbridge.
The choice of Susan Hall as the Tory candidate brings a veteran of local politics into the fray. Her “Safer with Susan” slogan gives a glimpse of how she hopes to appeal to voters. Despite her experience, she is lacking when under pressure, appearing unsettled by the softer questions such as “what is your worst trait”?
Labour’s early attack lines are simple and drawn from her own Twitter timeline. It highlighted her support for Liz Truss and Donald Trump as well as comments that tagged entire ethnic minorities.
The runes, then, are that the current mayor is a formidable politician who should not be troubled next year. Many Londoners would be content with this outcome. With a new biography out, Mr Khan tells the important story of his rise not only as the child of Muslim immigrant parents through the legal profession but also within the Labour Party’s factions.
His authenticity as a resident Londoner, who has, for example, been exposed to late-onset asthma from the preponderance of diesel vehicles in the capital, is well accepted.
Time spent at panels, such as the one organised by the London School of Economics, has granted the mayor a platform for his biography. It also allowed a Labour insider to sideswipe him for promoting his book, not win votes on Thursday.
What his CV is lacking is a sense of a city that’s kept its buzz, and that aspect of London’s future is the world’s business and cultural interest in the city.
As the rise of Boris Johnson showed, the London mayor’s job is one of national importance. It can also open up an international following. Both Mr Johnson and Ken Livingstone, the first mayor, captured global attention with favourite projects such as the London Eye and the bike rental scheme still known as Boris Bikes.
Without the surprise entry of a third-party candidate in next year’s mayoral election, there will be an absence of the futuristic in the forthcoming campaign. That is a great pity because London needs a shot in the arm from something novel.
How much better it would be if digital forces were brought to bear on the city’s government. What if City Hall could be rededicated to the idea that technology can transform how the UK is run? A leader who offered public goods such as digitally secure accessible services could light up London’s reputation.
A fizzier personality could provoke people into exploring how London could be better. This is a poisoned chalice if ever there was one, but after Brexit and the exhaustion of a decade-long property boom, standing up for ideas such as real digital citizenship could be the global boost London needs.
What Mr Khan's CV is lacking is a sense of a city that’s kept its buzz
The current City Hall is managerial rather than trailblazing. Take, for example, Mr Khan’s highest-profile international role. The mayor is a leader in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global platform that includes the likes of Toronto, Los Angeles, Cape Town and other large conurbations. The forum’s primary role is to put its stamp on responding to climate change, liveability and the 15-minute city.
In the kindest possible way, however, this does not put London out in front of the crowd but slips it into the herd. Offering leadership in the pack is not an alternative to the pursuit of a standout vision. This means questions about how London can, as it has always or often done, leapfrog the rest are set in the shade. What then happens to London setting the pace for the world?
The “us versus the rest” mentality has served the UK capital so well. Should not the others seek to emulate the trendsetter?
Now more than ever, London not only has its perpetual rivalry with Paris and New York. It is also in danger of failing to recognise the undoubted challenges of Dubai and Singapore. From a European perspective, the claims of Berlin cannot be discounted. What of New Delhi, Shanghai and Tokyo in a world of fragmentation?
The mayor need not be an avatar for London, but imposing its unique flair on how it becomes the digital city is a very different concept from what has gone before. The vision of the mayor needs to immediately be touchable and capable of unleashing opportunity at every corner. Residents need to spot it and order it. The world should be rushing to beat it.
That opportunity is what is missing as the 2024 mayoral campaign gets under way.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
THE%20HOLDOVERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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
