London has become a citadel, sealed off from the rest of Britain

Although the inequality London embodies is felt just as keenly inside its boundaries as outside them, the obstacles to living in the capital harden a view of it as a cut-off citadel – somewhere that not only fixes economic policy in its own interests but hoovers up public investment. The dire political consequences of this are all around us, though a capital-focused media often fails to see them. Nevertheless, London's mixture of economic isolation and huge political power are integral to the two biggest domestic stories of the year.

The Guardian