London mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised the “omerta” silence preventing the Labour Party from debating whether the UK could rejoin the EU single market after Brexit. Speaking at the Fabian Society conference, Khan called for a conversation about meaningful alignment with the EU, arguing that rejoining the single market should be on the table when the current Brexit deal is reviewed in 2025.
Khan, a leading critic of Boris Johnson’s “hard” Brexit deal, has previously called for Britain to consider rejoining the EU’s customs union and single market. He said the economic cost of the current deal is huge, citing a study by Cambridge Econometrics that found Brexit has already cost the UK economy £140bn and is set to leave it £311bn worse off by the mid-2030s.
The mayor also criticised the government’s Rwanda deportation plan, saying it is used “in the same way they used Brexit – as a deflection of all the problems they’ve caused to our country”. He urged Labour to speak up on the benefits of immigration and diversity, rather than trying to match the Tories on lowering migration levels.
Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn claimed the EU will breathe an “audible sigh of relief” if Labour wins the general election. He highlighted the benefits of a stronger alliance with the bloc, including economic and security advantages amid global instability. Benn said: “The best way to protect your sovereignty is to work with others.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out rejoining the single market or customs union and has set freedom of movement as a “red line”. However, he has promised to seek a new veterinary agreement with the EU and to examine the current trade deal when it comes up for review in 2025.
