Mayor to announce plans for London Brexit blueprint

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will today set out plans for a London Brexit blueprint at the first meeting of his Brexit Expert Advisory Panel.

Sadiq, accompanied by Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, will announce at a meeting this afternoon that he intends to publish a London Brexit paper, detailing the capital’s key requirements from the Brexit negotiations. Today’s meeting of his newly-formed panel of top business minds will advise him on the Brexit negotiations and the key requirements from business in the capital.

His Brexit Expert Advisory Panel – which includes business leaders from the financial services, technology, science and the media – will provide their unrivalled knowledge and experience to the formation of London’s Brexit paper. The Mayor’s Brexit blueprint will be published towards the end of this month.

After months of speculation, the Prime Minister last week finally set out the government’s plans for Britain leaving the European Union. The Brexit White Paper features 12 key principles outlined by Theresa May in a speech last month, including on immigration, the single market and customs union, trade and security.

Following the decision to leave the EU, Sadiq has championed London’s cause – the only region in England that voted to remain. He has been clear that when Article 50 is triggered by the end of March, London must secure privileged access to the single market. He believes this is critical for London’s future growth and prosperity and is fundamental to keeping the capital’s businesses globally competitive.

The Mayor has also campaigned for London businesses to retain full access to the very best talent from around the globe, and has issued a stark warning that a ‘Hard Brexit’ would risk having to explain to future generations why we knowingly put their economy, their prosperity and their place on the world stage in such peril.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I accept the result of the EU referendum and the democratic will of the British people – but now we must secure a deal that protects our economy and prosperity for future generations.

“Britain only succeeds when London succeeds, so any Brexit deal must work for London.

“That is why I am today announcing our intention to publish a London Brexit blueprint, which will outline exactly what we need in order to protect London’s economy over the years ahead. We have to strike a deal that safeguards London’s position as the best city in the world to do business – including maintaining the best possible access to the single market and retaining our ability to attract talent from Europe and around the world.

“As we head into the thick of negotiations with the EU, the Government must hear from the leaders of business, finance and science on London’s needs. That is why my Brexit Expert Advisory Panel is going to play a key role in developing and advocating London’s needs.”

The Mayor is holding a series of monthly face-to-face meetings with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis MP. Sadiq will call on his Brexit Expert Advisory Panel to provide insight and expertise on maximising these meetings as he pushes for a proper, sensible solution to the complicated challenge of leaving the European Union in a way that protects London and the UK’s economy.