Sadiq Khan is to blast the government for “shrugging off” the City’s Brexit fears
London mayor Sadiq Khan will tomorrow hit out at the government's “blase” approach to Brexit for the City, and accuse Theresa May of “shrugging off” concerns on recruitment and passporting.
Speaking at Canada corporation dinner, Khan will say that Brexit represents the biggest impact on the City since the Big Bang, 30 years ago.
The London mayor will stress that Brexit does not mean “economic self-sabotage” and call for a raft of measures to boost business in next month's Autumn Statement.
And he will also warn that appeals from the City and the financial services sector “seem to be falling on deaf ears”.
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“I believe we need to step up our efforts to ensure that the financial industry's unmatched contribution to our continuing success – and the success of everyone in Britain – is more widely understood and celebrated. Not just by the Government, but by the public too.”
It comes after Khan met with backbench MPs today as part of his last-ditch bid to secure new devolution for London in next month's Autumn Statement.
Khan revealed his Autumn Statement hopes in an interview with City A.M last month, and with less than a month to go, he is trying to ramp up the pressure on chancellor Philip Hammond.
The mayor is hoping to secure new powers over areas including housing, skills, tax and transport, bringing his remit in line with that of much more powerful mayors in US cities.
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Today he met the all-party parliamentary group for London to update MPs on progress of his talks with Treasury.
The group is led by Conservative Bromley MP Robert Neill and Labour Croydon North MP Steve Reed.
City Hall argues that giving the London mayor more control of funds raised will allow it to be better protected against potential Brexit fallout, while more decision-making in areas like rail could improve housebuilding in the capital.