Controversy, Coaches and Pubs in the City: Saturday UK Briefing
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2023-11-11 19:16
Hello from London, where military bands, horses and a gold state coach are gathering for the Lord Mayor’s

(Bloomberg) --

Hello from London, where military bands, horses and a gold state coach are gathering for the Lord Mayor’s Show, a tradition dating back to the 13th century. More contemporary concerns are at the forefront, though, with police preparing for the biggest pro-Palestinian demonstration since the Israel-Gaza conflict began. And it’s all happening on Armistice Day.

The events come at a tricky time for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after another week lost to Conservative Party turmoil. There are calls for him to sack controversial Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she criticized the Metropolitan Police for allowing the march to go ahead, among other outbursts.

Braverman made a political misjudgment in deflecting attention from Labour’s divisions over Gaza by igniting an incendiary row about interference in police operations, Martin Ivens writes.

Definitely-not-gilded coaches are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the capital today. Bar Thursday nights, though, the City of London’s pubs are almost empty. Some commuters are still working from home and others have cut back amid a cost-of-living crisis that’s left two-thirds of UK adults spending less on non-essentials.Here’s some more weekend reading for you:

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