London’s mayor is ramping up the pressure on his own party. Sadiq Khan wants Labour to campaign on rejoining the European Union ahead of the next general election, expected around 2029. He’s calling it “inevitable,” pointing to Brexit’s fallout on the city’s economy, society, and culture.
Khan’s Bold Call in Italian Interview
In a candid chat with la Repubblica, Khan laid it out plain. “I see on a daily basis the damage Brexit has done to not just London, but Londoners,” he said. He blamed extra hits like US tariffs and the war in Iran for jacking up living costs. “The facts have changed. The evidence has changed,” Khan added. He pushed for re-entering the customs union and single market pronto—no mention of a new referendum, though.
Downing Street’s pushing back hard. Officials insist the government won’t touch either the single market or customs union. Conservatives jumped on it, with a spokesman sniping that Keir Starmer’s “in office but not in power.” They claimed Ed Miliband’s running foreign policy, Angela Rayner’s handling immigration, and now Khan’s dictating EU moves. “Only Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are serious about cutting welfare, taxes, and getting Britain working,” the Tory rep fired off. Know More
Reactions Pour In from Rivals
Reform UK’s not having it. A spokesman vowed to reverse any single market or customs union creep after the next vote. Green Party’s Zack Polanski echoed Khan somewhat, calling Brexit a “disaster socially, culturally, economically.” In a Wednesday speech, he said straight up: “One day I do want to see us rejoin.” He took a swipe at Nigel Farage for waltzing back onstage claiming he can fix the mess he helped create. Read More
Even ex-Tory PM John Major weighed in at King’s College London that same evening. Brexit’s “failed to deliver its many promises,” he argued, costing £100 billion in European trade and £40 billion in tax revenue yearly. It’s leaving Britain “more solitary and vulnerable,” Major said. Full rejoin? Not soon. But he urged rebuilding ties with EU neighbors fast for economic sense.
Ties to Labour’s Immigration Rethink
Khan didn’t stop at Europe. He’s backing a pause on the government’s asylum crackdown, amid pushback from Labour ranks. Angela Rayner already called parts “un-British” and a “breach of trust.” Khan wants migrants who arrive to contribute, integrate, and join in—hoping Labour listens to him, Rayner, Andy Burnham, and others raising flags.
Liberal Democrats haven’t commented yet, but the debate’s heating up as election talk brews.
