Author: Henry Caldwell

London’s counter-terrorism command is investigating a string of arson attacks on Jewish and Israeli-linked premises in the capital, with senior officers warning that Britain may be witnessing Iranian-backed “violence as a service” carried out by hired criminals. Speaking outside Kenton United Synagogue on Sunday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the attacks form part of what appears to be a co-ordinated campaign. The latest struck overnight: a synagogue in the Brent-Harrow area was set alight, while bins outside a communal block in Barnet were torched. A Jewish business in Barnet had been…

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car was driven into pedestrians in central London in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed. Two people are being treated in hospital for serious injuries. One of them, a woman in her 30s, remains in a critical condition. A man in his 50s sustained what officers describe as life-changing injuries. A third pedestrian, also a woman in her 30s, suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the scene. The driver was detained by officers at the scene and is being held…

Britain’s Chief Rabbi has warned that violence directed at the Jewish community is escalating, following the latest in a string of suspected arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites across north-west London. The warning came after Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow was targeted overnight, becoming the third Jewish location in the capital to be attacked in under a week. According to the Community Security Trust (CST), which coordinates security for Jewish institutions, no one was hurt in the incident and damage was limited to minor smoke marks inside a single room. Sir Ephraim Mirvis condemned the attack as “cowardly”…

As RMT drivers prepare to walk out on 21 and 23 April, a London Chronicle analysis finds the spring strike wave could cost the capital more than £1.8 billion — and the hidden bill is landing in commuters’ pockets and small business tills, not just TfL’s budget. The Tuesday nobody is budgeting for At noon on Tuesday 21 April, roughly 1,800 London Underground drivers belonging to the RMT union will begin the first of six 24-hour walkouts spread across April, May and June. The headlines will focus on the drama — the four-day working week dispute, the closed stations, the…

London Underground drivers belonging to the RMT union will walk out twice next week after talks over a compressed working week broke down, with disruption expected across the network on four consecutive days. The strikes are confirmed for 24-hour periods beginning at midday on Tuesday 21 April and Thursday 23 April, with knock-on disruption likely to stretch into the following mornings. A separate walkout by Stagecoach bus drivers in the capital, starting at 5am on Friday 24 April, will compound the difficulties for commuters towards the end of the week. What the dispute is about The row centres on TfL’s…

A 23-year-old has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for stabbing a man he had never met in the head, leaving the victim with permanent brain damage after mistakenly believing him to be a rival gang member.Richard Sivanda, of Highgate Hill, was found guilty of attempted murder at Snaresbrook Crown Court in January and sentenced on Friday. The attack left his victim, a 20-year-old man, requiring life-saving hospital treatment and eventually forced into an assisted living facility.What happened on Highgate HillThe victim and his girlfriend were walking towards Highgate Tube station on the evening of 15 February 2025 when…

The City of London Corporation has written to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asking him to give up his Freedom of the City, the latest in a series of honours stripped from or withdrawn around the disgraced former prince. Councillors voted to invite him to relinquish the title voluntarily — an approach forced by the fact that, under existing rules, this particular category of Freedom cannot be revoked. Andrew received the honour in 2012 not through nomination but “by virtue of patrimony”, an automatic entitlement arising from his father Prince Philip’s status as a Freeman. Why the Corporation cannot simply remove it Unlike…

Britain’s economy returned to growth in February, exceeding expectations in the final weeks before the outbreak of war in Iran, according to official figures released on Thursday.Data from the Office for National Statistics showed gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — rose by 0.1 per cent compared with January, recovering from a surprise contraction at the start of the year. GDP captures the overall value of what an economy produces.A fragile recoveryWhile ministers have consistently identified economic growth as their central priority, the increases recorded in recent months have been modest. February’s uptick may yet mark…

Three men have been sent to prison for a violent assault on a boy who was deliberately driven into as he rode his bicycle, then stabbed as he lay injured on a residential street in West Sussex. Jack Ancell, 24, Charlie Clark, 24, and Aiden Barber, 22, were sentenced at Lewes Crown Court after admitting causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in public. All three played a role in the attack on Sydney Road, Haywards Heath, on the evening of 28 July 2025, Sussex Police confirmed. What the court was told about the attack The boy…

A senior Kent county councillor has admitted the future of a major road that partially collapsed nearly three years ago rests “in the lap of the gods” unless ministers approve a bid for funding to pay for repairs that could cost up to £50m. Kent County Council intends to apply for a share of a £1bn government pot, first unveiled in 2024, to fund the rebuild of the A226 Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe. The road has been out of action since giving way in 2023, with no clear route to reopening until now. What is being proposed for Galley…