If you're the forward-thinking type who likes to read Londonist on your BlackBerry or iPhone while heading to or from work, yet resent having the myriad delights of John Q Stranger's armpit swabbed over your face on yet another overcrowded carriage, some good news: the government has promised an extra 100,000 seats across the country's rail networks. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly confirmed that a 10% increase in rolling stock is planned, with around 600......

Heathrow Airport: to expand or not to expand, that is the question. The debate can begin in earnest, as today Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly laid out options for consultation, including a potential third runway and sixth terminal. With Terminal 5 not even finished yet, it may seem premature to be discussing more construction work, but the Government stressed that it would take until 2020 for a new runway and terminal to be operational. Kelly......

Revolting peasants and Scottish heroes, a buried river, and a 1000 years of death, slaughter and destruction. Smithfield surely deserves some kind of cultural centre. And there just happens to be the perfect place to put it, if we act fast… As many readers will know, several buildings of the famous meat-market complex are under threat. The General market, Fish market and Red House are in a dilapidated state and the targets for demolition......

It's possible that some of you, dear readers, may occasionally travel upon our world famous London Underground. And possible that you may have experienced some discomfort while doing so, maybe a little over-crowding, maybe a little lateness, perhaps even the odd denial of service. Some might argue that these occasional 'blips' in your commute might have arisen through the failings of the tube maintenance firm, Metronet (now in administration after a predicted £2bn overspend).......

After a surprisingly quick public inquiry, a new skyscraper for the City of London has been approved. Called "the Walkie Talkie" by nickname lovers thanks to its distinctive appearance, the 160 metre tall building will be replacing a 100 metre 1960s tower currently on the site. The building proposals had been called in by the then Secretary of State for Communities, Ruth Kelly, after concerns were voiced by UNESCO at the increasing number of......

Latest airport news: Air France yesterday cancelled four flights to London due to congestion, but generally it looks like things are getting better. The Daily Mail meanwhile gets right to the heart of the issue...by slagging off John Prescott. The hearing against the Met over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes was adjourned yesterday after police lawyers requested extra time to consider their plea. Ken's new planning powers will go under public consultation......

Update on that fire in Colindale. No reports of any casualties. Super Ken! Looks like our Mayor may soon become more powerful than ever before. Ruth Kelly is set to announce the enhanced package of powers today. And sticking with Ken, he wants to charge drivers of the most gas guzzling cars a whopping 25 pounds a day to drive in the congestion zone. A real gondola in Little Venice? Yep, complete with "gondoliers,......

Dark Days For Blair After the trouncing Labour took last Thursday in the local elections, Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to have a cabinet re-shuffle sooner than expected. Some moves were expected. Ruth Kelly moving to a new department. Charles Clarke returning to the backbenches. Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong being demoted. However, a lot of the new positions came as a surprise. Margaret Beckett promoted to Foreign Secretary, even after she presided over......

Party Funding System To Be Reviewed They're all at it! It seems that the £14m received by the Labour Party in secret loans has caught up with them, with the party's National Executive Committee taking back responsibilty for the party's funding, to make it more transparent. Tony Blair met with members of the Labour NEC today, many of whom did not know about the loans, and are understandably annoyed. The creditors in question -......

Blair's Authority In Question After last night's education vote, in which Tony Blair had to rely on Conservative support to pass the Bill (even after Education Secretary Ruth Kelly [pictured] made concessions to try and win over the Labour rebels), the PM's authority is in question. 52 Labour backbenchers rebelled and voted against the Bill, and 25 more MPs abstained, and with the Bill passing by 458 to 115, the support of David Cameron's......

As one Londonista said the other day, "we can't ignore it!" - Valentine's Day is here, and love is in the air, even here in Westminster. Many people find power sexy. Others claim that politics is "showbusiness for ugly people" (why else would I be so rabidly political?) On this Valentine's Day therefore, Londonist has a treat for you! Do you fancy being part of a political sex scandal? Do you want to sell......

With a lot of media attention diverted towards Ruth Kelly's supposed misdemeanors over at the Department for Education and Skills, it has been a fairly subdued week here in the Palace of Westminster. However, the fires are still raging over government plans to combat terrorism, including implementing biometric ID cards. The Terror Bill, which contains a clause that outlaws the "glorification of terrorism", was defeated in the House of Lords yesterday by 270 to......

An eventful day at Westminster today, with many revelations. The first was that the Government has now decided to allow its backbenchers a free vote on the proposed ban on smoking in public places. The Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, has been under fire for some time from the Commons Health Committe, who are tabling an amendment to the Bill proposing a total ban, as opposed to the partial ban that her Government are proposing.......