Britain must rejoin single market, Sadiq Khan
says as he slams Brexit
28 June
2022, 22:22 | Updated: 29 June 2022, 09:26
By Fiona
Jones
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/we-must-rejoin-eu-single-market-urges-sadiq-khan/
Sadiq Khan
tells LBC that Britain must rejoin the single market as he brands leaving the
EU as "the biggest piece of self-inflicted harm ever done to a
country."
His
comments came after the Government won a Commons vote on a bill authorising a
second reading of the Northern Ireland protocol.
The
development means the fluidity between the Republic of Ireland's border, a
single market member, and the UK's border, could be compromised.
The
protocol will come under scrutiny in the coming weeks and Boris Johnson's goal
to override parts of the Northern Ireland agreement, which details post-Brexit
trade first set out in 2018, is ever closer.
Former
Prime Minister Theresa May blasted the Northern Ireland protocol bill prior to
the vote, condemning it as illegal and detrimental to Britain's global
reputation.
Speaking to
the Mayor during the annual State of London debate, LBC's James O'Brien asked:
"Should the Labour Party at a national level be agitating for rejoining
the single market?"
"I
believe we should. Spot on," said Mr Khan, while adding he could not speak
for the whole of the Labour Party.
He went on
to brand leaving the European Union as the "biggest piece of
self-inflicted harm ever done to a country."
Despite Mr
Khan's conviction, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed a potential
return to the single market, which includes a ruling out of EU free movement.
Tory
minister Tobias Ellwood recently came under fire for echoing Mr Khan's views,
suggesting the UK should rejoin the EU single market to ease the cost-of-living
crisis.
In the
Government's bid to drop the protocol, which would firm up borders between Republic
of Ireland and Northern Ireland, they have claimed the move is legally
justified to "safeguard an essential interest".
The
European Commission has said it is not prepared to renegotiate the protocol and
took legal action against the UK for attempting to alter the protocol.
More
optimistically, the German ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger has told LBC the
EU "thinks it's possible" to find a solution to the post-Brexit
Northern Ireland trade issue after the summer.
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