London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Labour to make the case for rejoining the European Union, welcoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s message that Britain must confront difficult questions honestly.
Khan set out his position in a social media post accompanying an opinion article published on 1 October.
Khan: ‘hope comes from honesty’
“Andy Burnham is right that ‘hope comes from honesty’,” Khan wrote.
“That’s why Labour must make the case for rejoining the EU”.
His intervention follows Burnham’s Labour Party Conference speech on 29 September, which placed Britain’s future relationship with Europe within a wider argument for stronger economic growth and prosperity.
“Brexit has done more harm than good,” the Prime Minister told delegates. “We need to restore a higher level of growth and prosperity for Britain.”
Options for Britain’s relationship with Europe
Burnham announced that he would set out different options for Britain’s long-term relationship with its European partners around the forthcoming UK–EU summit. He said he would seek consensus on a course that could provide greater clarity about the country’s future position.
Khan’s call goes further by explicitly advocating that Labour argue for EU membership. It is his proposal for the party’s future direction, rather than an announcement that the government has decided to rejoin.
Labour MP Joe Powell has also supported closer European ties. The Kensington and Bayswater MP shared Khan’s statement and argued that a much closer EU partnership was vital to Britain’s future success. His own post stopped short of explicitly calling for membership.
The Prime Minister’s next step is to present the options. Khan’s intervention puts the case for rejoining firmly into that debate, while Powell’s response adds support for rebuilding a closer partnership with Britain’s European neighbours.
