London MPs used their first day back in Parliament to condemn Brexit, as Lord Sadiq Khan stepped up calls for Britain to rejoin the European Union. The MPs took part in a debate on the UK returning to the European bloc, a prospect opened up by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
MPs cite 'lies' and business damage
Deirdre Costigan, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, was the first MP from the capital to attack the Leave campaign in 2016. She said many of her constituents voted to leave the EU because they were "bombarded with lies, from the mythical £350 million a week for the NHS that never appeared to the lie that immigration would come down when it actually trebled."
Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, noted that 87% of her constituents voted to Remain and described how local businesses had been hit by leaving the EU. She recounted that a kitchen designer had to close a family business lasting more than 30 years due to a downturn in sales caused by Brexit, a local bakery saw its paperwork nearly double before closing, and a flower stall owner said the cost of tulips had risen by 50% since 2020 because of post-Brexit bureaucracy.
Constituency stories of red tape
Ben Coleman, Labour MP for Chelsea and Fulham, said a Spanish-Italian delicatessen in his constituency had gaps on its shelves, as its small supplier had "had enough of the reams of EU red tape" since the UK left. Wimbledon Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler accused the Conservatives of being "in denial" over Brexit and its economic harm, citing a local Italian bakery facing endless form filling and a florist facing similar hurdles, calling it "stale bread and dead flowers—a fitting epitaph to Brexit."
Marsha De Cordova, Labour MP for Battersea, condemned leaving the EU as "an unmitigated disaster that has left us poorer," with the Office for Budget Responsibility saying it had wiped billions off UK trade. Walthamstow Labour MP Stella Creasy argued for Brexit to be revisited but cautioned about the difficulties of going back into the European bloc, saying "the British problem is that we too often think that the difficult bit is us deciding what our future relationship with Europe should be, and then we tell the Europeans."
Demographics and defence of Brexit
Helen Hayes, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, highlighted changing demographics since 2016, with more young voters who were not able to take part in the referendum. Senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, who represents Harwich and North Essex, defended Brexit, saying "the UK economy has outgrown France and Germany since we left the EU in 2021."
Mr Burnham wants to rebuild ties with Brussels, stressing that deals at a UK-EU summit on November 20 could eventually boost Britain's economy by £10 billion a year. He also accused Russia of trying to interfere in the Brexit vote but said it had not been successful in swaying its result. However, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of seeking to "unpick" the original Brexit deal.
