Speech to French business leaders comes ahead of Mayor’s European trip
Sadiq will pay tribute to ‘vibrancy’ of French contribution to capital
London and the South East home to more than 200,000 French people
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will tonight underline the economic, social and cultural ties that exist between France and the capital and declare his confidence that these will remain as strong as ever after Britain leaves the EU.
In a speech to the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain’s annual gala dinner in central London, the Mayor will reiterate that London remains open to French people, businesses and investment – days before the Prime Minister triggers Article 50 to formally start the process of leaving the EU.
The speech comes ahead of Sadiq’s visit to Paris next week, where he will meet his counterpart Anne Hidalgo, on the day Article 50 is triggered by Theresa May. It is the French leg of a six-day trip during which the Mayor will also visit Berlin, Brussels, Madrid and Warsaw.
The Mayor is expected to say: “London and France share a unique relationship that is rooted not only in centuries of history, but in our common values and mutual interests.
“The French community here is a credit to London and a crucial component of what makes this place so special. A community that not only makes a massive contribution to our economy, but to our society and the vibrancy of London.”
The Mayor will restate his determination to ensure London remains an attractive place to do business and that he is pressing government to offer French and other EU nationals living in London a “cast-iron guarantee” they would have the right to remain post-Brexit.
He is expected to add: “Not only do I want to make sure you’ll always feel welcome here – I want to help protect London’s economy and your businesses through Brexit and make it even easier for you to foster new business opportunities.
“Using my position I will not only promote new business in London, attract inward investment and act as a voice for our city on a national and international level, but actively support and champion growth in our most important sectors too.”
Notes to editors
- The French Embassy in London estimates 300,000 French nationals live in the UK, of which 200,000-225,000 live in London and the South East of England.