Europe and Brexit report from City Hall, July 2016
I was disappointed with the outcome of the referendum, which I think will be very serious for London.
We continue to deal with the consequences of Brexit at City Hall. The immediate challenge is to spread the word to the rest of the world, that London remains open for business despite the vote, which is one reason why Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched #LondonIsOpen, a major campaign to show that London is united, open for business and open to the world following the EU referendum. #LondonIsOpen will show Londoners and people everywhere that London remains entrepreneurial, international, and full of creativity and opportunities, while reassuring the more than one million foreign nationals who live in London that they will always be welcome. The Mayor is asking everyone to get involved with the campaign. Please spread the word that London is united, full of creativity and open for business. We can all send this simple, positive message to the world: #LondonIsOpen.
A few things you can share about this campaign:
At this month’s Mayor’s Question Time, I asked the Mayor about the possibility of special arrangements for London, if it looked like we were being short changed by the Government’s Brexit ministers. The Mayor stressed the importance of protecting London’s jobs and prosperity, the need for London to be in the single market to succeed and the importance of more devolution to the capital. He confirmed that nothing was ‘off the table’.
I have also prepared the first of what I plan to be a series of factual briefings on the Brexit issues as they affect London.
Finally, I think that the debate at the last Assembly plenary meeting says it all about UKIP, whose sole proposal was to take down the EU flag outside City Hall.
