''The London Economic'' (''TLE'') is a

digital newspaper A digital newspaper is a digital version of a printed newspaper. Newspapers can be digitally published online or as a digital copy on a digital device, such as a mobile phone or an E Ink reader. Online Web Many organisations that publish a prin ...

based in the capital of the UK. It rose to prominence during the

2017 United Kingdom general election The 2017 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 8 June 2017, two years after the previous general election in 2015; it was the first since 1992 to be held on a day that did not coincide with any local elections. The governing ...

when it ran the most-shared political story on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

for that election cycle.

History

''The London Economic'' emerged from a political blog sharing platform created by Jack Peat and Joe Mellor in 2012. It was developed through to 2014 into an alternative news website in an attempt to redress the "political power of the mainstream media", according to editor-in-chief Jack Peat. Its scepticism of the mainstream media has given it an

alternative media Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media (such as mainstream media or mass media) in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, C ...

tag, one shared by political blogs such as The Canary, Captain Ska and websites such as

Novara Media Novara Media (often shortened to Novara) is an independent,F. Mayhew,The Media Fund offers 'democratic' alternative to billionaire press owners and BBC' (11/10/17) in Press Gazette left-wing alternative media organisation based in the United King ...

. In June 2017, Peat joined Matt Turner of

Evolve Politics Evolve Politics is a British left-wing news and current affairs website created in September 2015. The website describes itself as "a truly independent, shared equity media outlet, providing incisive news reporting and investigative journalism th ...

, Stephen Glover of the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'',

Aaron Bastani Aaron Bastani (born 1983/1984) is a British journalist and writer. He co-founded the left-wing media organisation Novara Media in 2011, and has hosted and co-hosted many of its podcasts and videos. After a 2014 video for the publication, he popu ...

Michael Heaver Michael Eric Heaver (born 22 September 1989) is a British former politician. He was elected as a Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England constituency in the 2019 European parliamentary election a role he re ...

of Westmonster,

Eve Pollard Evelyn, Lady Lloyd, (''née'' Pollard, formerly Winkleman, born 25 December 1943) is an English author and journalist, and has been the editor of several tabloid newspapers. Early life and education Pollard was born in Paddington, London.BB ...

and David Yelland to discuss whether Britain's newspapers have lost their influence on British politics.

Ownership

In April 2020, ''The London Economic'' was taken over by the venture capital firm, Greencastle Capital Limited, who now hold a controlling 51% stake in the outlet.

Criticism

Following their takeover, ''The London Economic'' encountered criticism after it emerged that Greencastle Capital Limited's owner, David Sefton, has significant links to the fossil fuel industry.

Political standpoint

''The London Economic'' was generally supportive of

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...

, the last leader of the Labour Party, but has run editorials from anti-Corbyn politicians such as

David Blunkett David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2015, and previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

councillors. The website took a pro-Remain standpoint on the

2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

Notable stories

''The London Economic'' has published a number of stories which have been notable enough to be picked up by

mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes mai ...

outlets.

NHS capped expenditure process

Following the

Conservative–DUP agreement The Conservative–DUP agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed the 2017 United Kingdom general election which resulted in a hung parliament. Negotiations between the two parties began on 9 June, ...

''The London Economic'' published capped expenditure proposals outlined by Health secretary

Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ...

which were claimed to ration

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

services, lengthen waiting times and lead to a "postcode lottery for your healthcare". According to the article leaked by

Shadow Health Secretary The Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is an office within British politics held by a member of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The duty of the office holder is to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State f ...

Jonathan Ashworth Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth (born 14 October 1978) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since 2021. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) f ...

to ''The London Economic'' NHS managers were instructed to “think the unthinkable” to find savings which could lead to "staff cuts, units shut and treatments rationed or restricted".

Insulate Britain protests

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

co-founder Roger Hallam appeared on ''The London Economic's'' podcast Unbreak The Planet to discuss the Insulate Britain protests, saying he would "block an ambulance" in order to get the campaign group’s message across. Explaining his motives, he described

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

as "the biggest crime in human history imposed by the rich against the global poor."

Readership

Describing its audience, ''The London Economic'' said it appealed in particular to "young professionals predominantly based in London".

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:London Economic, The British political websites Internet properties established in 2014 2014 establishments in the United Kingdom Left-wing politics in the United Kingdom Alternative journalism organizations British news websites