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London, 2025: A collage of reporting by Toby Carmichael

This site presents a variety of print, video and audio reports, investigations and reviews, compiled in early to mid 2025, and selected here in order to provide a snapshot of my freelance work covering London.

Primarily focused on local democracy, this portfolio shows work from across the Londoners four sister publications. 

Click the article links below to explore the individual pieces.

South West Londoner •

London MPs lobbied millions in gifts and donations since election

Since July of last year London’s 75 MPs have accepted more than £2.7 million in gifts and donations, approximately £37,000 per head.


Jeremy Corbyn, independent MP for Islington North, tops the list as the most donated and gifted to MP since the last general election, having received more than £130,000 from mainly crowd-funded sources.


Freelance journalist Ethan Shone, who has written extensively on Parliamentary lobbying with OpenDemocracy’s Dark Money investigations, said that despite rec...
South West Londoner •

Review: Nye by Tim Price at the National Theatre

Tim Price’s Nye is back on stage at the South Bank’s Olivier Theatre until August before it transfers for a limited run to Cardiff’s Millennium Centre.


An ode to the eponymous hero Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan (Michael Sheen), Price’s play celebrates the life of this much-lauded member of post-war social democracy.


Bevan is primarily remembered as the founder of the one socialist institution to have survived 20th-Century Britain, the National Health Service.


Induced by morphine and, unknowingly,...
North West Londoner •

'Real time, not screen time': the 'offline' events taking over London

Hundreds of people gathered at Primrose Hill Viewpoint in Camden to break the world record for ‘most people to simultaneously switch off their mobile phone’.


The gathering on Saturday 29 March was the latest event organised by The Offline Club, an international organisation promoting offline social and creative events.


With over 900 core members, the London Chapter of The Offline Club has grown exponentially since its establishment in September 2024, regularly attracting hundreds to their...
North East Londoner •

Tower Hamlets to spend millions on 'Best Value' roles

The Borough of Tower Hamlets is planning to spend £6million over the next three years on a slew of new posts designed to address failings identified by a government probe last year.


An independent best value inspection served to the council in August 2024 by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government exposed serious concerns about the borough’s leadership, culture, governance, and partnership.


Such failures, the report said, had led to allegations of a toxic environment of intimidation,...
South West Londoner •

TfL-Santander Cycle journey times hit 15-year low

The average hire time for Santander Cycles has hit its lowest figure in over a decade.


Transport for London (TfL) records show that the average casual bike-ride in February 2025 was a mere 14 minutes long, the shortest recorded time since November 2010.


London Cycling Campaign senior policy officer Tom Bogdanowicz believes that while the trend was unfortunate, it could be explained by the capital’s changing cycling habits.


Bogdanowicz said: “Santander bikes are almost as iconic as red b...
South West Londoner •

Reevees' Spring Statement preempted by 'Tax the Super-Rich' rally

Scores of protesters gathered in Whitehall on Tuesday calling on Rachel Reeves to reverse proposed cuts to welfare and implement a wealth tax on the super-rich instead.


Featuring speeches by economist Gary Stevenson, Green MP for Bristol Central Carla Denyer, Lord Prem Sikka and others, the War on Wealth rally at 1 Horseguards Road took aim at the Chancellor’s Spring Statement.


On top of last week’s announcement of approximately £5billion in benefit cuts, the Statement confirmed tougher el...
South East Londoner •

Campaign to make Lewisham the UK’s first ‘Borough of Literature’

A literary charity is continuing its campaign for Lewisham to become the first Borough of Literature as part of the upcoming Deptford Literature Festival.


The campaign was established last year by Spread the Word, a literary development agency and registered charity set up by 1995 Booker Prize winning novelist Bernadine Evaristo and chair of English PEN Ruth Borthwick.


On their website, Spread the Word claimed that working toward this unique title would augment Lewisham’s creative potentia...
South East Londoner •

Labour Council Quashes ‘No Confidence’ debate

Southwark’s Labour Council fended off what was styled as a ‘No Confidence Vote’ by opposition councillors this week.


In a tense and late meeting on Wednesday February 26, Liberal Democrat councillors failed to oust Labour Leader Councillor Kieron Williams and Cabinet member for Finance Councillor Stephanie Cryan, the first time in fifteen years since such an attempt had been made.


The majority-led Labour council amended a backbench motion before a debate could commence. Opposition councill...
South West Londoner •

National Gallery 200th anniversary to be celebrated in Trafalgar Square

The National Gallery has announced the final plans for its 200-year anniversary celebrations, set to culminate at Trafalgar Square this month.


Rounding off the two-year, UK-wide Triumph of Art festivities in the Gallery’s honour, the event scheduled for 26 July will feature a parade up Whitehall followed by performances art, workshops and music.


Turner prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, who has been commissioned to lead festivities, said he was relishing the unique opportunity.


Deller...

Multimedia reports

About me

I'm a freelance writer and journalist, originally from Belfast. I grew up in Cambridgeshire where I continue to be based. 

I began writing and editing newspapers while studying at university, specifically for the University of Oxford's largest independent student newspaper, Cherwell.



In addition to sub-editing and contributing to Cherwell 's features section, I collaborated with others to help reconstitute and distribute the award-winning student satire magazine The Oxymoron after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2025 I enrolled at the London offices of News Associates, the top journalism college in the UK.

To an industry increasingly afflicted by nihilism, News Associates responds with a versatile tuition in creative, multimedia approaches to storytelling, something I had began to appreciate ever since setting up my own Substack page to experiment with publishing my own investigations,  reviews and diaries.



Initially focused on local democracy angles, I soon adapted my work to include coverage of nationally-relevant demonstrations and protest events, as well as niche sub-cultural topics.

For these reports, submitted as part of my portfolio while at News Associates, I received a Gold Standard graded diploma.

While seeking employment at a full-time position, I continue to pitch stories and self-publish material online. 

My sincere thanks in advance for your time and any attention to my work. I very much appreciate it.

Toby

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