\u2018choose London\u2019
\n LONDON
\nThe mayor of London has urged EU citizens to \u201cchoose London\u201d over other European cities, promising to make the UK capital a better place to live and work despite Brexit.
\nSadiq Khan told the Guardian he had redoubled his efforts to attract EU citizens since the UK left the bloc, notwithstanding new barriers such as visa requirements.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019ve got a big responsibility. I\u2019ve got to make it more attractive for you to choose London [rather] than Frankfurt or Paris or Dublin,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve got to make sure that our nightlife, our museums, our galleries, our values, what we can offer, trumps the ease of going to another European city because of free movement.\u201d
\nHe cited recent high-profile sporting and cultural events, from the popular Abba Voyage show to Major League Baseball.
\nPointing out that a million EU citizens live in London, Khan added: \u201cWe may have left the European Union as a country, but London is a European city, and I think it\u2019s the capital of Europe.\u201d
\nEU citizens can qualify for a UK work visa if an employer recruits them to a higher-income role \u2013 generally one earning more than \u00a326,200 \u2013 but within the EU they can move around visa-free.
\nAs well as creating practical obstacles, Khan acknowledged that the UK\u2019s decision to exit the EU had changed the way the country was viewed across Europe, giving him a tougher task in promoting London as a destination.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got to accept as Brits that us leaving the EU has sent shockwaves around the world, including in the EU, about how we\u2019re perceived \u2013 fairly or unfairly,\u201d he said.
\nNoting that there had been a sharp fall in school trips as children were no longer able travel without passports, falling EU student numbers at universities and fewer UK bands touring the continent, the Labour mayor also expressed concern that cultural links built up over decades were being eroded.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWhen you go into the European Commission and speak to politicians, or when you speak to chief executives in mainland Europe, a lot of them know London really well. They studied here, they travelled here, they did a foreign exchange here, and they fell in love with the city. And that means they want to invest here. That means they want to come on holiday here. That means they want to do business here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khan with Pride revellers in central London in July. \u2018Our generation are tolerant,\u2019 he says. Photograph: Peter Nicholls\/Getty for Pride<\/p>\n
Khan fears that over time the decline in contacts like these could have a negative impact, not just on the economy but also on the UK\u2019s values.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cOur generation are tolerant, we\u2019re respectful. There\u2019s less xenophobia, less bigotry. And a lot of that is familiarity, because we\u2019ve got to know that Italian food\u2019s not too bad actually, it\u2019s wonderful; we\u2019ve got to listen to Spanish music; we\u2019ve got to make friends with people who are French. And that\u2019s what worries me in relation to those links.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s courtship, whether it\u2019s friendship, whether it\u2019s business partners it makes it more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khan is proud of his close connections with European mayors, name-checking among others Anne Hidalgo in Paris, Beppe Sala in Milan and Roberto Gualtieri in Rome.<\/p>\n
Among the issues he has discussed with these peers is air quality. Khan has vehemently defended the recent expansion of London\u2019s ultra-low emission zone, a decision the Conservative government has sought to exploit, with the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, claiming to take the side of hard-pressed drivers in a \u201cwar on motorists\u201d.<\/p>\n
Khan\u2019s administration is based in the angular new city hall building in Royal Docks, in the east of the capital, close to the vast Excel exhibition centre. Floor-to-ceiling windows give him a sweeping view of the rapidly developing area \u2013 which on a hot late summer day embraces water-skiers and sunbathers.<\/p>\n
Sadiq Khan sits in a chair in an office with angled windows. Khan the new city hall building. Photograph: Linda Nylind\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
He is serving a second term, and faces a re-election battle in May 2024, in which, unlike general elections, EU citizens can vote.<\/p>\n
Recent polling has suggested a close race between Khan and the Conservative candidate, Susan Hall.<\/p>\n
The government recently changed the voting system for the poll, so that second preferences will no longer be taken into account potentially damaging Khan, who might hope to pick up second-round support from LibDem or Green voters.<\/p>\n
An unabashed opponent of Brexit, Khan has called on politicians in the UK to have a more open discussion about the consequences of Brexit and how to mitigate them, which he believes will have to involve closer alignment with EU rules and practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat breaks my heart is, for the foreseeable future we can\u2019t talk about rejoining the EU: referendums tend to be once in a generation, and I respect that. But even though we\u2019ve got a bad hand, and it will never be as good as being inside the EU, we\u2019ve got to try to make the best of it. And that means alignment and not divergence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Despite criticising what he called an \u201comert\u00e0\u201d in British politics about Brexit, he expressed some sympathy for the Labour leader Keir\u2019s wariness about the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeir, like me, is a passionate remainer, and he\u2019s got to reassure those people around the country who aren\u2019t quite sure whether we believe what we say when we say we respect the vote of the British public. I get that. I get the politics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The risks for Labour of speaking out on Brexit were underlined last monthwhen the Tories gleefully seized on Starmer saying \u201cwe don\u2019t want to diverge\u201d from the EU. But Khan insisted politicians could not avoid the topic forever.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to open up division and deadlock, and I don\u2019t want to reopen old wounds, but we\u2019ve got to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In terms of immediate measures in particular to help alleviate skills shortages in the capital Khan has backed a proposal by the hospitality sector for a reciprocal youth mobility scheme with the EU.<\/p>\n
Such a scheme, already in place for a small number of countries including Australia and Canada, allows 18- to 35-year-olds to work in the UK for up to two years and vice versa.<\/p>\n
Khan said: \u201cYou speak to any business in this city and they will tell you they have got skills shortages. You speak to some of the best restaurateurs in the world and some of the best chefs in the world, they can\u2019t get staff for love nor money.\u201d \u2014INTERNEWS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018choose London\u2019 LONDON The mayor of London has urged EU citizens to \u201cchoose London\u201d over other European cities, promising to make the UK capital a better place to live and work despite Brexit. Sadiq Khan told the Guardian he had redoubled his efforts to attract EU citizens since the UK left the bloc, notwithstanding new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-360097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n