Super-rich opt for London despite temporary exodus amid pandemic February 24, 2021 London’s standing as a home for the super rich to live, invest and do business in has been unchanged during the pandemic.
Selling off museum pieces to save jobs should not be a taboo — especially during a pandemic December 18, 2020 When a group of Royal Academy of Arts grandees recently suggested selling one of the institution’s masterpieces, it caused quite a stir. This was not just any artwork: it was Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo, a great unfinished masterpiece that is considered among the Academy’s crown jewels. The proposal — auction it off for more than £100m [...]
DEBATE: Is there any point in members of the wealthy elite calling for higher taxes in response to Covid-19? July 14, 2020 In light of this week’s Millionaires for Humanity letter, is there any point in members of the wealthy elite calling for higher taxes in response to Covid-19? Gary Stevenson, inequality economist and trader, says YES. On Monday, 83 millionaires — myself included — signed an open letter calling on governments to raise taxes on people [...]
The Tories risk becoming an irrelevant party in the capital March 18, 2020 The decision to postpone May’s London mayoral election a full year due to the coronavirus pandemic offers an opportunity for parties to reflect on a to-date lacklustre campaign. For the current mayor Sadiq Khan, generally good poll ratings have sat uneasily alongside persistent questions about seemingly out-of-control knife crime, the long-delayed completion of the new [...]
The Westbury Hotel owner seeks £1bn sale of Mayfair portfolio March 10, 2020 Cola Holdings, the owner of the The Westbury Hotel, is seeking a £1bn offer for its Mayfair property estate, which also includes Bond Street’s Burberry store and a private members club. Kurdish-born millionaire Bakir Cola owns the group, which has recently received planning permission to redevelop the five-star hotel in Conduit Street to attract “top [...]
London luxury hotel market booms as weak sterling attracts tourists December 9, 2019 The London luxury hotel market has boomed in the last year as the fall of sterling against the dollar has attracted a surge in international tourists, new research showed. In total, 50 new luxury and premium hotels have opened in the UK in the last year, growing the number to 3,380. Meanwhile the number of [...]
Focus on Barnsbury: An elegant oasis between Islington and King’s Cross November 8, 2019 Barnsbury counts bustling King’s Cross and lively Upper Street among its neighbours. But if you were blindfolded and dropped in the middle of one of its streets you’d probably think you were in a sedate suburb rather than the heart of N1. Firstly, it is very quiet – so quiet that, in 2013, one of [...]
London can show the country how to do democracy better October 30, 2019 A General Election is coming, and I am leaving parliament to run as an independent candidate for mayor of London. I am running to be mayor and not for parliament because I find Westminster increasingly depressing as it loses more and more of its meaning and purpose in stale divisive rows. And I believe that [...]
Wealthy UK cities showing resilience to retail downturn October 28, 2019 A group of wealthy cities such as London and Cambridge are faring relatively well during the UK retail sector’s downturn while shops in poorer and more rural areas suffer, a new report has said. Read more: Retailers brace for tough Christmas as confidence slumps Shopping parks have also shown resilience as the bricks-and-mortar retail sector [...]
Property of the Week: This Regent’s Park mansion was the setting for a Victorian scandal October 25, 2019 Owning a neoclassical mansion in Regent’s Park would be quite nice in itself. Buy this former ambassadorial residence that has just come to the market on Cumberland Terrace, though, and you will also be able to retrace the steps of 19th century royalty, artists and high society. The grade I-listed, five-bedroom mansion was built in [...]