London mayor urges Labour to push for rejoining EU

LONDON

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the Labour Party should campaign to rejoin the EU at the next general election.

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Thursday, Khan highlighted the impact of Brexit on the capital. He said: "I see on a daily basis the damage Brexit has done to not just London, but to Londoners, the damage economically, socially and culturally."

"I'm quite clear in terms of what needs to happen, which is, we should join the EU."

Khan also referenced global instability, particularly with US President Donald Trump in the White House, as part of his argument.

He said: "We should, as a Labour Party, fight the next general election with a clear manifesto commitment, a vote for Labour means we would rejoin the European Union. I think it’s inevitable."

Earlier this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out the government's intention to move toward closer alignment with the EU.

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Brexit has hit the UK economy harder than many critics feared.

The report, written by five economists, including one from the Bank of England, examines “almost a decade’s worth of data” to assess the long-term impact of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.

The study estimates that “by 2025, the Brexit process had reduced UK GDP by 6% to 8%, investment by 12% to 18%, employment by 3% to 4%, and productivity by 3% to 4%.”

These effects, the economists note, “accumulated gradually over time.”