Khan says Brexit may have wiped 10% off GDP as he calls for UK to rejoin EU – UK politics live | Politics
Brexit could have shrunk GDP by up to 10 per cent, Khan claims
In an interview with La Repubblica (see 8.57am), Sadiq KhanThe Mayor of London has said research commissioned by his office suggests Brexit may have reduced UK GDP by up to 10%. “What [the research] “It confirmed that our economy could have grown by 10 percent if Brexit had not occurred,” Khan said, adding, “This is higher than other estimates of the damage caused by Brexit.”
Khan mentioned this report.
in it Mais conference on TuesdayChancellor Rachel Reeves used lower figures. He said:
Brexit has caused deep damage. Recent independent studies suggest GDP impacts could be as high as 8%.
important events
Conservatives launch local election campaign
Conservatives begin their local election campaign. There is live broadcast Here.
James WiselyHe introduces shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch. He describes him as “this country’s next prime minister.”
He says he has had a “transformative impact” on the party and added “energy and vitality” to it.
Brexit could have shrunk GDP by up to 10 per cent, Khan claims
In an interview with La Repubblica (see 8.57am), Sadiq KhanThe Mayor of London has said research commissioned by his office suggests Brexit may have reduced UK GDP by up to 10%. “What [the research] “It confirmed that our economy could have grown by 10 percent if Brexit had not occurred,” Khan said, adding, “This is higher than other estimates of the damage caused by Brexit.”
Khan mentioned this report.
in it Mais conference on TuesdayChancellor Rachel Reeves used lower figures. He said:
Brexit has caused deep damage. Recent independent studies suggest GDP impacts could be as high as 8%.
Sharon Graham’s comment about Keir Starmer facing a leadership challenge after the May election (see 09.50) was prompted by the question: Angela Raynerappears to be intensifying preparations for a possible leadership contest. Pippa Crerar More insight into his thoughts in this very good article.
Here’s a quote.
Until recently, Rayner was of the same view—at least publicly. It rallied last month when Anas Sarwar called for Starmer to leave, saying he had Starmer’s “full support” and urging Labor to come together. With his intervention, the possibility of a coup was eliminated.
But despite his public display of loyalty, allies say Rayner has gradually lost faith in Starmer and the Downing Street operation and that the party must now go in a different direction.
Starmer’s initial frustrations with some of the people around him – people he apparently thought were pushing him into bad political decisions – began to settle in the prime minister himself. “Angela couldn’t defend him anymore,” a friend said.
The decision to make Peter Mandelson the UK ambassador to Washington was a turning point. The Guardian understands Rayner privately warned Starmer not to proceed with Mandelson due to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Ministers announce major expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales
Tens of thousands of criminals will be released from prisons in England and Wales wearing tags that track their location in real time, ministers have announced, as part of the biggest expansion of electronic tagging in British history. Alexandra Hill It has a story.
Unite leader Sharon Graham says she expects Starmer to face leadership challenge after May election
Unite general secretary says Keir Starmer will face leadership challenge after Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections in May Sharon Graham he said.
This is not a new view, but in an interview with Sky News this morning Graham said what many Labor MPs would only say in private.
When asked if he would like Angela Rayner to replace Starmer, he said:
Regardless of what I believe, I think there will be a move to change leaders after the May election because I think Labor will be largely wiped out in that election.
Like Sky News reported, Graham said he thought the government did not understand “how bad” employees’ anger was about the lack of service.
UK wage growth falls to five-year low as younger workers hit by slowdown in hiring
Wage growth slowed sharply in the three months to January, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest snapshot of the labor market. Philip Inman It has a story.
Trade Minister Peter Kyle will make a statement to MPs about the government’s steel strategy at around 12.30pm (see 09.35am). He will follow Foreign Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper, who gives a presentation on international development at around 11.3am.
UK to double steel tariffs to 50% to save plants from collapse
Chris BryantThe trade secretary has rejected suggestions that the tariff plan to help Britain’s domestic steel production is reminiscent of Donald Trump’s policy.
Like Bethan McKernan According to reports, the government will double tariffs on Chinese and other foreign steel in a bid to save its remaining plants from collapse.
In an interview on Sky News this morning, he was asked whether this was a Trump-style policy: Bryant replied:
Not quite Donald Trump. This is very very specific.
Look, I believe I’m passionate about free trade, but it has to be fair trade.
And if you have artificially low prices, if you’re pricing in a way that excludes us from the market altogether, if you’re pricing in a way that forces British steel out of the market, that’s a problem for us because we need sovereign steel capacity in the UK.
Labor must soon rejoin the customs union and single market and commit to full membership in the EU, Sadiq Khan said in his manifesto
Good morning. Shortly before the 2024 general election, Keir Starmer said he did not think the UK would rejoin the EU in his lifetime. (He is now 63.) At the time, he was loathe to say anything that implied the Brexit vote was a mistake. Lately Labor has been happy to talk about the economic damage caused by the leave vote, and ministers want a closer relationship with the EU, but ruling out customs union or single market membership remain firm red lines for Labour. And even more pro-EU parties, such as the Liberal Democrats, are a little unclear about when exactly rejoining might be an option (especially since the last thing Brussels probably wants is another half-decade of Brexit negotiating hell).
But today Sadiq KhanThe mayor of London is trying to shift the debate to a different area. Inside Interview with Italian newspaper La RepubblicaHe said not only that rejoining would be fine in principle (which is as far as most pro-European Labor MPs are willing to go), but also that Labor should commit to rejoining in its next election manifesto.
It also says Labor should join the customs union and single market with the EU during this parliament, although its 2024 manifesto rejects this.
He says:
Every day I see the damage that Brexit is doing not only to London but to Londoners, economically, socially and culturally. And I’m pretty clear about what should happen, which is that I think we should join the European Union…
Therefore, I think there should be a five-stage process regarding this.
First, we need to reset our relations with the EU and that is the end of it. Mark it.
Secondly, we must be more closely aligned, and the chancellor this week talked about closer alignment, sector by sector, and divergence only in exceptional cases.
So we basically need to take the next three incredibly important steps.
Third step, we must rejoin the customs union of this parliament. Any trade agreement is less good than a customs union.
And then step four, we have to rejoin the single market. We must try to do this during this parliamentary term.
And then as a Labor Party we must fight the next general election with a clear manifesto commitment; Voting Labor means we will rejoin the European Union.
Khan also says there will be no need for a second referendum if Labor goes into election with a manifesto that makes this clear.
The chances of Starmer adopting this plan are slim to none. However, this does not mean that it is a completely hopeless intervention. Khan knows Starmer will not commit to rejoining, but he is speaking ahead of the London election, where Labor faces a crackdown, particularly from the Greens; partly because London voted to remain and the Greens are more anti-Brexit than Labour.
There is also a broader point; Over time, policy debates change and ideas once dismissed as absurd begin to be seen as more realistic. (There was a time when the odd fringe party was calling for Britain to leave the EU and no one took them seriously.) Khan may be thinking long term.
Here is the agenda of the day.
10.30: Kemi Badenoch launched the Conservative Party’s local election campaign for England at an event in London.
Morning: Health minister Wes Streeting visits a vaccine distribution center in Kent.
11.30: A lobby briefing is being held in Downing Street.
After 11.30: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper explains to MPs about international development spending. Climate aid from the UK to developing countries will be cut by around 14% to around £2bn, Fiona Harvey and Jessica Elgot report.
Afternoon: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced his party’s candidates and Scotland manifesto.
Afternoon: Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, takes questions from MSPs.
Afternoon: The Covid inquiry has published its latest report covering the impact of the pandemic on the NHS.
Afternoon: The Bank of England makes its latest interest rate announcement.
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