The London Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, said that his “ultimate goal” is to reverse Brexit, which he believes can be achieved within his lifetime.
Khan has declared that he wants Britain to eventually rejoin the EU, calling for a return to the single market and the customs union.
In a recent interview with The Observer, the London mayor described Brexit as “the biggest act of economic self-harm any country’s ever done.”
“My ultimate goal is for us to rejoin, and I think it will happen in my lifetime. I definitely want us to be part of a customs union,” he said.
It is not the first time Khan has gone against his own party’s policy on Brexit, the term for the UK's departure from the European Union (EU), from which results were announced on June 23, 2016, shortly after Khan took office as London Mayor.
Why is he calling to rejoin now?
The UK's Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is under pressure from some in his party to move closer to Brussels, with expectations that the EU will be a core issue in any future Labour leadership contest.
Earlier this week, Downing Street ruled out rejoining the customs union, despite Brussels saying it would be “open” to the idea.
Starmer and Rachel Reeves, his Chancellor, continue to point to Labour’s general election manifesto, which rules out rejoining the EU, the single market, and the customs union.
In August 2024, a month after Starmer was elected, Khan called for the Brexit debate to be reopened.
Rest of the Labour Party’s stance
Despite Khan’s stance, he doesn’t have the power to reverse Brexit; that falls to No. 10 Downing St, which has repeatedly declined offers from the EU to rejoin.
Last week, the European commissioner for economy and productivity said the EU was “ready to engage” if Starmer wished to explore re-entering the trade bloc, an offer that No. 10 dismissed despite seeking to deepen ties with the EU in other areas.
Those positions have come under growing scrutiny because members of his top team have suggested he should consider rejoining.
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary, and David Lammy, Starmer’s deputy, have both refused to rule out rejoining an EU customs union, despite the Labour Party line.
At the World Economic Forum last month, Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, unexpectedly said it would be “crazy” not to consider a customs union.
Last year, Khan explained that he wanted to see Britain back in Europe eventually, and he has more recently announced that it is one of his ambitions.
In 2024, Khan said “in the medium to long term, there will need to be a conversation about whether we have a better future inside the EU or outside of it.”
In 2022, Khan broke the party line, saying that the “quickest way to get growth” would be to rejoin the EU’s single market.