The Spy is taking a summer break
Here's one last round-up before we return at the end of August
Morning — the recent London heatwaves have taken a toll here at Spy HQ. All that sunshine has reminded us that we're in dire need of a summer hol, so we've decided to take a break from this newsletter until roughly the end of August. Hopefully we won’t miss much — it’s the silly season, after all — but if we do, we’ll have a bumper August round-up for you when we’re back.
For our paid readers: we'll be pausing your subscriptions while we're away, so you won't be charged until we're back. We’re also using the break to lay the groundwork for some longer reads — expect juicy deep dives from across the capital soon.
In the meantime: here's one last round-up before our break. We lead on the news that a High Court judge has ruled that the expansion of Wimbledon can go ahead.
Plus: the mayor's trip to Africa, facial recognition at Notting Hill Carnival, and the gayest supermarkets in London.
What we've spied
🎾 South London locals have lost their High Court battle to stop the expansion of the Wimbledon tennis site. On Monday, a judge dismissed the case of campaign group Save Wimbledon Park, which had tried to argue that plans to build 39 new tennis courts were unlawful, as the proposed land — a former golf course — was protected. Instead, the judge sided with the All England Club (AELTC), which runs the annual Wimbledon tennis championships, and the Greater London Authority, which granted planning permission for the expansion last year. The AELTC says the expansion will allow Wimbledon to host its qualifying tournament on site and effectively extend the championships by a week. But Save Wimbledon Park say the fight isn’t over — they immediately announced their intention to appeal against Monday's verdict. The group, made up of local residents, said that the High Court's judgment "would, as it stands, set a worrying precedent for the unwanted development of protected green belt and public open spaces around London and across the country".
Related: in another case of sports vs green space, Tottenham Hotspur has won approval from City Hall to build a women's football academy on a park in north London. Around 16 hectares of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield will be fenced off as part of the plans, which have also been approved by the borough council. Locals had also tried to challenge the development in court, warning of the precedent, but they too lost.
One last thing on sport: the government has backed a London bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championship and World Para Athletics Championships, which would be held at the London Stadium in Stratford. No word, though, on whether the government is officially supporting City Hall's hopes of hosting the 2040 Olympics in the capital.
✈️ Sir Sadiq Khan and a delegation of 27 London companies have returned from a trade mission to Africa. The mayor spent last week visiting five cities across Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, a tour that he described as "the first visit of its kind by a mayor of London — to bang the drum for the capital and further develop the strong ties between our countries". In Lagos he met representatives of the city's art and entertainment industries "to celebrate creative links and forge new partnerships"; in Accra he spoke of the benefits international students bring to London and announced City Hall will host its first-ever London-Africa business summit next year; and in Cape Town, he unveiled a new £1.4m funding pot to support community sport, Go! London. The mayor also announced that his upcoming memorial to the victims of the transatlantic slave trade in the Docklands will be part of a "network" of memorials that will also include works in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Not everyone was impressed with all the announcements — on a visit to east London, shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the mayor was "more interested in photo ops abroad than fixing problems at home".
Elsewhere for the mayor: an independent investigation has cleared Khan of wrongdoing in relation to his acceptance of free Taylor Swift tickets from a City Hall contractor last year. This week, the Greater London Authority's monitoring officer Rory McKenna concluded that Khan hadn't broken the GLA's code of conduct and that he exercised appropriate caution in accepting the £3,000 tickets from LS Events, which had previously won contracts to run events for the GLA. In response to the investigation's findings, a spokesperson for Khan said: "Any gift accepted by the Mayor is declared openly and transparently. In this case there was an administrative error which was quickly corrected". Among those calling for the investigation in the first place was Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Conservatives, who said this week: "I am disappointed that the investigation has finished this way, but ultimately it'll be up to Londoners to decide whether the Mayor acted appropriately in accepting free tickets from a firm that contracts with the GLA for tens of millions of pounds."
📹 Live facial recognition technology will be deployed at this year's Notting Hill Carnival, the Met Police has said. Cameras that scan for people marked as wanted will be placed on the boundaries of the carnival to catch "a tiny minority of individuals intent on causing serious harm to others" at the August Bank Holiday event, according to the Met's deputy assistant commissioner, Matt Ward. But the measure has drawn some criticism — Zoë Garbett, a Green London assembly member who has campaigned for more scrutiny of the Met's use of facial recognition, said: "How is it justifiable that people celebrating their heritage, dancing in the streets, wearing traditional clothing, attending with their family and friends, should be scanned and tracked like potential criminals? This feels rushed and massively targeted". The Met has also said it will be deploying 7,000 officers to the carnival as well as setting up screening arches at entry points to conduct stop and searches for knives and other weapons. It comes after carnival organisers recently secured more funding to bolster public safety.
👨⚖️ A man has been found guilty of murdering a London couple and dumping their remains in suitcases at a bridge in Bristol. On Monday, a jury convicted Yostin Mosquera, 35, of the double murder of Paul Longworth, 71, and Albert Alfonso, 62, while staying at their flat in Shepherd's Bush in July last year. Mosquera dismembered the couple then transported some of their remains to Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, where members of the public saw him dragging suitcases. Following the verdict, detective chief inspector Ollie Stride, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “This has been one of the most harrowing murders my team have ever investigated, a case that will stay with many of us for a long time. Paul and Albert were murdered in the most brutal and callous of ways in their own home. The investigation has been complex and intense and we worked tirelessly to build a catalogue of evidence which would ensure we brought Mosquera to justice."
💸 The price of London Oyster cards rose for the first time in a decade this week. As of yesterday (Tuesday), TfL has nearly doubled the price of a 60+ Oyster card, from £20 to £35, while Oyster cards for under 16s, students, apprentices and carers have all gone up by £1. TfL has blamed the price hikes on a significant rise in the projected costs of its concession schemes, particularly for over 60s, as explored in this recent deep dive in the Times newspaper. Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at TfL, said: “We are fully committed to keeping travel in London affordable and accessible to everyone. Our fees for photocards haven’t increased in 10 years, and these changes will mean that we can continue to provide these concessions while ensuring that the fees better reflect our costs for operating the schemes.”
Elsewhere for TfL: a reduced timetable has now come into force on the DLR, following delays to the introduction of new trains on the line; plans to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety in Shoreditch, at one of “the most dangerous junctions in London”, have been unveiled; and new designs celebrating TfL’s 25th anniversary have been unveiled for buses, trains and trams.
🔍 And finally, we leave you with:
The gayest supermarkets in London (TikTok)
The annual Soho Waiters’ Race (TikTok)
Mind the
gapcanyon (TikTok)The trial of pay-per-minute, street-legal golf carts in west London (www)
Mice spotted at the original Ivy restaurant in the West End (BBC)
Charli xcx marrying George Daniel at Hackney town hall (Daily Mail)
A man cuddling swans in Hyde Park (TikTok)
How stolen Lime bikes became the new sound of the summer in London (Guardian)
A report suggesting empty London office blocks should be turned into ‘late-night party zones’ (www)
Kew Gardens’ tropical Palm House shutting for five years for a makeover (Guardian)
The Pearly King of FINSBURY (TikTok)
Filming for HBO’s Harry Potter spotted at Embankment (TikTok)
History clinging on for dear life in central London (TikTok)