There's no such thing as a quiet year but it's fair to say that 2023 had its big moments.
War continued in Ukraine and broke out in the Middle East, leading to tension and division among Londoners. Let us hope for better from 2024.
In the capital, which also had its own tragedies, the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone beyond the North and South Circulars dominated the headlines. While Labour celebrated gains in the polls and in by-elections around the country, a loss to the Tories in Uxbridge, in west London, was put down to anti-ULEZ anger.
This prime minister Rishi Sunak took as a sign that the environment wouldn't win any votes, while being 'well into cars' might. We'll see.
Sunak also decided to unleash his inner 'tech bro', gathering media from around the world to Bletchley Park ("we invented it") to talk about what he'd read about artificial intelligence, getting to meet X-man Elon Musk in the process.
Sunak also made an appearance at the Covid Inquiry, where he was predictably upstaged by former London mayor Boris Johnson, who definitely understands numbers.
For normal folk, the numbers on their payslips feature somewhat fewer zeros than those of prime ministers. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing, strikes were a regular feature as workers called for wages to catch up with prices.
And if it wasn't strikers on the streets, it was environmental protesters begging the country's leaders, present and future, to make responsible decisions for the long term, not just the election cycle. And, to coin a phrase, to follow the science.
5. Stormzy brings the rain
London’s rap hero took over All points East at Victoria Park for his This Is What We Mean Day on August 18. The socially conscious legend embraced the adverse weather and won the summer. | Khali Ackford Photo: Khali Ackford
6. London gets ULEZier
Despite a vocal opposition, a court challenge and camera vandalism, the ULEZ was expanded on August 30, charging drivers of older, polluting vehicles in almost the whole of London in bid to bring about cleaner air. | Getty Images Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images
7. Terrorist attacks on Israel
A world-changing moment came in the form of the unspeakable horror of the Hamas attacks on Israel in which more than 2,000 people were killed and hundreds were taken hostage. The evil of the attacks, in which rape was used as a weapon, shocked the world and shook communities in London, which has since seen a rise in antisemitism and other racist hate crime. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty
8. Gaza comes under attack
Israel’s response has seen tens of thousands of people killed, with Gaza pummelled by airstrikes and military assaults. Mass protests on the streets of London called for a ceasefire. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images