As long as you're already in London, I suppose the best way would be to start working for a company on-site and then make an arrangement to continue the collaboration remotely (assuming they do remote at all). It's always better if someone gets to know you face to face first.
I agree with this. Establish a face-to-face relationship and then begin working offsite.
I assume you can find a London employer with similar values (rent is ridiculous - let's hire remote devs, so we don't have to lease so much office space).