Sadiq Khan says he has a “big responsibility” to attract EU citizens to London post-Brexit, making sure the capital “trumps” other cities such as Paris or Dublin as a place to live.
The Mayor of London told the Guardian he is redoubling efforts to make London “more attractive” and hopes a vibrant nightlife, museums, galleries and the city’s “values” will trump “the ease of going to another European city because of free movement”.
He told the newspaper: “That’s where I’ve got a big responsibility. I’ve got to make it more attractive for you to choose London [rather] than Frankfurt or Paris or Dublin.”
He pointed to recent large events as examples of what can attract EU migrants, from the popular Abba Voyage show to Major League Baseball.
Mr Khan said around a million EU citizens live in London. Some are eligible to live in the capital under the EU Settlement Scheme or a work, study or family visa, which cost up to 35 per cent more from October 4.
All Europeans can move around the EU visa-free.
Mr Khan acknowledged that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has changed the way the country is perceived across Europe “fairly or unfairly”, but claimed that politicians and chief executives still want to holiday or “do business” in London.
He told the Guardian: “When you go into the European Commission and speak to politicians, or when you speak to chief executives in mainland Europe, a lot of them know London really well.
“They studied here, they travelled here, they did a foreign exchange here, and they fell in love with the city. And that means they want to invest here.”
Mr Kahn said there is “less xenophobia, less bigotry” among his generation, who were “familiar” with European migrants living in the UK.
He said he is worried about tolerence and respect of other cultures if the UK loses “those links”.
Mr Khan is serving a second term and is vying for re-election at the London mayoralelections in May 2024, in which EU citizens can vote.
He called for British politicians to have open discussions about how to mitigate the consequences of Brexit.
“Even though we’ve got a bad hand, and it will never be as good as being inside the EU, we’ve got to try to make the best of it. And that means alignment and not divergence,” he told the Guardian.
The Mayor of London has backed a proposal by the hospitality sector to establish a youth mobility scheme between the UK and EU.
The scheme is already in place between the UK and Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Canada, allowing 18-to-35-year-olds to work in either country for up to three years.
He also called on ministers to introduce a new youth group travel visa, designed to make the UK more open to visits from international school pupils.
