Mayor must ensure London’s Brexit concerns are heard

The London Assembly EU Exit Working Group wrote to the Mayor of London today to ensure London’s concerns on Brexit are being represented to Government.

The letter makes a number of recommendations including:

• If the consultation on the Shared Prosperity Fund is announced in the near future, the Mayor should respond and ensure that the case for London’s devolution, and continued share of funding commensurate to its contribution to the national economy, is made loud and clear.
  
• The Mayor should lobby for the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe, the next iteration of Horizon 2020.
  
• The Mayor should lobby Government on lowering the salary threshold to an even lower figure, in order to ensure the future of London’s healthcare workforce.
  
• The Mayor should lobby Government to provide further funding to charities supporting vulnerable European nationals.
  
• In the case of a no deal scenario, the Assembly needs firm reassurance that the Mayor is doing everything possible to make sure the interests of London’s businesses, including those in the services sector, are being represented with Government.

Len Duvall OBE AM, Chair of the EU Exit Working Group said:

“Leaving the European Union in January has brought us no closer to understanding what lies ahead across a number of critical areas. This continued uncertainty remains a big burden for businesses, the education and health sectors and EU Londoners to name a few.

“We’ve asked the Mayor to keep the Assembly updated his meetings with Government to discuss the uncertainties that still face London. This will be important in giving reassurance to Londoners and London’s businesses that there interests are heard and represented.

“And while things seem to be unchanged now, we must remember we are now in a status quo transition period so in only a few months’ time, London could find itself in a very different position.”