Nigel Farage spent Wednesday evening (June 12) at a London fundraiser for Donald Trump's US presidential campaign where tickets cost £78,000 but he won't be distracted from the General Election, according to the Reform party. Mr Farage is standing as a candidate in the Essex seaside town of Clacton but he was pictured arriving at the event in Chelsea on Wednesday night, with guests including Mr Trump’s son, Donald Jr.
Tickets for the fundraiser cost up to 100,000 dollars (£78,000), the Financial Times reported, and it was hosted by Neighbours actor and singer Holly Valance. Asked whether Mr Trump’s event could interfere with Mr Farage’s own campaign efforts, a Reform party spokesperson said: “What Nigel gets up to is his call. It would be absurd to suggest he’s not concentrating on the campaign.
“We’ve got over 600 candidates running in this election – I’m utterly uninterested in what Nigel wants to do on one night. He’s doing a fantastic job on the campaign. This is tittle-tattle of little importance. I don’t think anyone can suggest he’s not putting his heart and soul into this campaign.”
Holly Valance, pictured kissing Donald Trump Jr, hosted the fundraiser that has already raised two million dollars (£1.57m) (Image: James Manning/PA Wire)
The fundraiser has already raised two million dollars (£1.57m) through donations and ticket sales, according to reports. It has been billed as a reception and dinner with Donald Trump Jr and his fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host.
Prominent financial backers of Mr Trump and former European ambassadors who served under him during his time as US President are expected to be in attendance, according to the Financial Times. Valance and her husband Nick Candy, a real estate developer who was also reported to be hosting the event, were pictured with Mr Trump and Mr Farage at Mar-a-Lago in 2022.
Meanwhile, a fundraiser for Democratic candidate President Joe Biden also took place in London on Wednesday night and was believed to have been hosted by American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Three more men have been charged with the murder of Janayo Lucima who was killed in West London on April 1. Janayo Lucima was found with a fatal gunshot wound on Comeragh Road, West Kensington, shortly before 11pm by officers who had been called to the street to reports of a disturbance in a home.
Three further suspects have been charged with his murder. The first is a 16-year-old male who was extradited from Spain. He arrived in the UK on Friday, June 7. The second was Issa Siteri, 18, from Chelsea, who returned voluntarily to the UK from Morocco on Saturday, June 8.
The final new charge was Yusuf Muhudin Abdi, 18, from Paddington who also returned to the UK voluntarily from Morocco on Saturday, June 8.
All three suspects appeared in custody at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, June 11 where they were remanded in custody to appear at the same court on Wednesday, June 26.
Five other people have been charged in connection with this alleged murder. They are: Khuedr Al-Kurdi, 21, of Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, Muktar Said, 22, from Kensington, a 17-year-old male, a 16-year-old male and another 17-year-old male. Those charged who are under 18 cannot be named for legal reasons.
All five have been remanded in custody to appear at the Central Criminal Court for a trial in February 2025.
EastEnders fans are convinced Reiss Colwell's wife can hear everything he has been saying, including his plan to steal all of her money to fund IVF treatment with Sonia Fowler. Debbie Colwell has been comatose for some time after suffering a major stroke before Reiss ever came to Walford as a relative of Dot Cotton's.
Reiss is now in a relationship with Sonia but is also committed to supporting his wife who receives around the clock care at a home. Reiss and Sonia are longing to have a baby and have started IVF treatment which has so far been unsuccessful.
As Sonia already has a daughter, Bex, the couple have to self-fund their IVF journey so Reiss stole Debbie's savings to pay for it. But during Monday's trip to Walford (June 10), Reiss visited Debbie and explained he would need to take the rest of her cash to pay for more treatment.
Reiss visits Debbie but he has a surprise visitor during Monday's episode of EastEnders (Image: BBC)
While holding her hand, he said: "I need to take the rest of the money now Debs, to give us a better chance. And if it works, and we're lucky enough to have a baby, this will be the first place we will visit. I swear."
Reiss was left shocked when he realised Bianca Jackson had followed him to Debbie's care home and had heard everything he had said. Bianca walked into the room and muttered 'Oh my god' as Reiss turned around to look at her.
However, some EastEnders fans think Bianca isn't the only one who heard what Reiss said as they are convinced Debbie can hear despite being in a coma, and when she wakes up Reiss will be in danger.
Bianca Jackson is left mortified in EastEnders (Image: BBC)
Taking to X, one person wrote: "I bet Debbie can hear everything Reiss is saying... #Eastenders @bbceastenders".
A second predicted: "When Debbie ends up knifing Reiss. Let Sonia and Jay get together and have a baby. They can both be boring as paint drying while having what they want most in the world: a baby."
A third chimed in with: "Reiss is going to take the rest of Debbie's money. Just wait until she wakes up. I bet she can hear what Reiss is saying. #EastEnders."
"I wonder if Sonia tries to have a baby with Reiss, Debbie recovers and Reiss tries to take Debbie and his and Sonia's baby away from Walford? #EastEnders", explained one viewer. "Ohhh Reiss is going into his dark era... #EastEnders, exclaimed another.
Want more Albert Square gossip from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily EastEnders newsletters for all the latest and greatest from Walford here.
The Only Way Is Essex star Lydia Bright has revealed her favourite restaurant in the capital: an Italian trattoria in Shoreditch. Gloria, part of the Big Mama group, offers a menu featuring products directly sourced from 180 small producers in Italy.
Lydia, also known for her appearances on Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island and The Jump, recently returned to her old primary school after decades. During her visit, she shared her favourite dining spot with MyLondon.
The 33-year-old TV personality praised Gloria for its authentic and innovative food. Lydia added: “This was the first restaurant I saw on Instagram where they made the pasta inside of a cheese wheel, and I think they brought it to London! That’s my favourite dish, but everything else on the menu is also absolutely incredible.”
Former The Only Way is Essex star Lydia Bright says her favourite food is Italian (Image: EssexLive)
Gloria prides itself for being a little corner of Italy in London, open for lunch and dinner over two floors. Their website states: “Joyful and lush by day, the place gets funky at night, with house made playlists and a cosy vibe downstairs.”
Part of the Big Mama group, Gloria joins other hot spots in London, including Ave Mario in Covent Garden, Circolo Popolare in Tottenham Court Road, Carlotta in Marylebone, and more recently, Jacuzzi, in Kensington High Street.
Gloria emphasises that everything on their menu is 100% fresh and homemade, from the Spaghetti al Tartufo, to the Neapolitan Pizza cooked in the gigantic Marana oven, and even their Italian gelato, Bronte pistachio. Their menu changes every month, based on arrivals and seasons.
A vintage London Underground train has been vandalised, causing the last minute cancellation of its return to the Tube tracks, the London Transport Museum has said. The restored 1938 stock was due to travel on the Piccadilly line on Sunday (June 9), between Acton Town station in West London and Oakwood station in North London, but the damage has forced organisers to pull the plug.
The old rolling stock was due to make six journeys from around 10am to 8pm, with doors only opening at each end of the journey. Ticketholders were meant to hear from an expert LTM curator about how they care for the 86-year-old stock, and take part in a talk about the architect Charles Holden, whose design influence is all over the London Underground network.
On Saturday evening, an LTM spokesperson said: "This event has been cancelled. Due to vandalism to our beautifully restored 1938 Tube Stock train overnight we are not able to operate our planned heritage train journeys on Sunday 09 June 2024. Ticketholders have been contacted directly via the email address used to book."
The London Transport Museum has not said who the vandals are (Image: Carl Court/Getty Images)
In a Twitter post, LTM also said: "We’re devastated to say that our planned heritage journeys along the Piccadilly line tomorrow have been cancelled due to vandalism to our beautifully restored 1938 Tube stock train."
The 1938 trains were the first kind of Tube trains to have all of their electrical equipment underneath the floor. Above this was an interior of late 1930s style - a period dominated by Art Deco and Streamline Moderne art styles.
The stock served London, on several deep-level Tube lines, for half a century. The LTM's electrified train is made up of four cars with green and red moquette seating, grab handles and period light fittings.
You can find out when the next heritage train trips are being put on and book tickets here.
Our London Underground newsletter brings you the latest travel updates to help you survive your commute - as well as a weekly dose of Tube trivia!You can sign up HERE.
"I laugh when I think back to when I drove from Highams Park to the shops in Walthamstow," said Maureen Barry. "It's less than a 25-minute walk. I'd never even consider it now."
Ten years on from London's first Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) being introduced in Walthamstow, it's fair to say the bustling corner of East London has been transformed. Waltham Forest, along with Enfield and Kingston, was the first part of the city to win £30m to implement a Dutch-styled scheme to encourage more cycling.
A key policy of Boris Johnson's tenure at the Mayor of London, the scheme saw the previously car-lined Orford Road become pedestrianised, while dedicated cycle lanes were introduced along the length of Lea Bridge Road and Forest Road.
Former cab driver Steve Gander, 70, believes the low-traffic scheme makes life easier for ordinary people (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
Walthamstow Village has become a textbook example used by urban planners to encourage other areas to adopt low-traffic schemes. Independent shops line the street which locals freely stroll upon, while cafes and restaurants have been able to extend their outside seating areas.
Margaret McGuinness was among Walthamstow residents in favour of the scheme who attended the many consultations during the early 2010s. "They got extremely heated," she told MyLondon while volunteering in Change Grow Live, an addiction rehab centre on Orford Road.
"I was surprised by the people were so against it. Some people wanted to be able to drive to the Tube station which is only a 10-minute walk away.
"It’s all been good in my opinion. They’ve blocked off Grove Road which had become a massive rat run, but that’s just amazing to walk down now.
"I get quite cross when people say: ‘But it takes me ages to get around’. Yeah, you’re in a car." Fellow volunteer Maureen said the scheme has made the area much more pleasant to live in.
She said: "It's made Walthamstow much easier to walk and cycle around. People will always resist driving changes, whether it's about wearing a seatbelt or ULEZ."
Orford Road in Walthamstow Village has been pedestrianised (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
Research from Waltham Forest Council for the LTN's tenth anniversary found 54 per cent of residents agreed it made the area easier for walking and cycling. More than half said it had improved life in Walthamstow, while the same survey found just 18 per cent disagreed.
This has translated into a rapid surge in house prices across Waltham Forest as more people look to move to the borough. Data from the Office for National Statistics found property prices in Waltham Forest increased more than anywhere else in the UK between 2013 and 2023.
Although efforts to regenerate East London for the 2012 Olympics have contributed to this, the value of homes shot up 113 per cent from £235,210 to £515,320 in just 10 years.
Despite the praise Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Walthamstow have received across the country, many residents say their needs were not properly taken into consideration ahead of the schemes being introduced. Alan Cavalier, who lives within the LTN introduced around Lloyds Park in October last year, told MyLondon he's now constantly forced to sit in traffic as he's unable to use public transport while he receives treatment for lung cancer.
Restricted roads can now be seen across Walthamstow (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
Former black cab driver Tony Gander has sympathy for people whose lives have been negatively affected by the LTNs. "It can be a pain," he said. "I’ve got an autistic grandson who waits for me to turn up. But if roads are closed or have limited access it means I get there later and he’s stressed.
"When they started doing road closures in Islington and areas to tackle congestion it was difficult. I’d constantly have someone sat in the back asking ‘can’t you do a right here, or go left there?' I’d say I couldn’t without getting a £60 fine"
The 70-year-old now drives less after having his right leg amputated, and says road changes means the only time he uses his car is when travelling to Tesco in Edmonton. As a result of these lifestyle changes, Steve told MyLondon he's able to use his mobility scooter to easily travel across Walthamstow.
Steve Gander, 70, understands why some people are against the low traffic schemes (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
He said: "When I go to the hospital I go through the village and have a coffee or sit in the graveyard. It's really nice and peaceful."
Steve went on to perhaps some up the general opinion on low traffic schemes better than anyone. "There’s two sides of my story," he added. "As a driver it’s a pain in the arse, but for ordinary people it makes the place better.
"It’s made me drive less, I’ve also got a 25-year-old Jaguar I’m going to sell, I don't need it. We're very well connected here with buses and trains."
Labour has promised to introduce a new scheme to help at least 3,302 young people out of their parents’ house and onto the housing ladder in London if it were to form the next government. The 'Freedom to Buy' programme would reduce the need of first-time buyers to reply on cash gifts from relatives, the party says.
It would operate as a 'permanent mortgage guarantee scheme', with the state acting as guarantor for prospective homeowners who struggle to save for a large deposit. Labour adds that it would prove 'more comprehensive' than the existing 'Help to Buy' scheme, which is set to expire in June 2025.
Shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner said: "With five more years of the Tories, 3302 in London will be left with limited routes onto the housing ladder." A Labour spokesperson added: "For lenders, there’s little incentive to properly integrate the scheme into their offer to customers, as they expect it to expire in a matter of months
Angela Rayner claims that five more years of Conservative government would lead to 3,302 in London being 'left with limited routes onto the housing ladder' (Image: Adam Toms/MyLondon)
"Even though it’s repeatedly been extended, the lack of certainty means many lenders treat it as a peripheral product. On the other hand, prospective buyers struggle to find authoritative and accessible information about the scheme, and those who are saving to buy months and years in advance have no guarantee it will continue to exist when they come to buy a home.
"A permanent mortgage guarantee scheme that is an established part of the market will increase the availability and lower the cost of mortgages for buyers who don’t have access to a large deposit. In other countries like Australia and Canada, widespread use of mortgage insurance lowers the cost and increases availability of mortgage products for families with smaller deposits, supporting homeownership."
Tories hit back
But the Tories have hit back. Laura Trott, Chief Secertary to the Treasury, said: "Labour need to explain to first time buyers how raising their taxes by £2,094 will help them get on the housing ladder.
"The truth is, Labour’s tax raid will punish first-time buyers. What’s worse, their refusal to back our Family Home Tax Guarantee is the strongest signal yet that your home is next in Labour’s tax grab.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott has hit back at Labour (Image: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan, backed by bold action, to strengthen the economy, bring mortgage costs down and help more people get on the housing ladder.”
The Conservative claim that Labour's policies would lead to families paying more than £2,000 in extra tax has been called 'unreliable and false' by fact checkers. Full Fact adds that it is 'based on multiple assumptions’.
Chris Morris, its Chief Executive, said yesterday: “It's clearly unacceptable to present your own analysis as the conclusions of independent civil servants when it's not. Public trust in politics is hanging by a thread and a high-profile falsehood will turn even more people away from the democratic process. We want to see this corrected as soon as possible."
But the Tories have doubled down on the claim. The party claims that analysis of Labour’s spending plans shows the party has has a 'black hole' of £38.5 billion – the equivalent of £2,094 in taxes.
The party says the figure was reached 'using both official HM Treasury Costings, HMG figures and Labour’s own numbers, and a publicly quoted investment bank'.
