London Mayor Sadiq Khan has laid out a step-by-step path back to EU membership, urging the Labour Party to make rejoining a central pledge at the next general election — a position that puts him well to the left of the government’s current stance on Brexit.
Speaking to La Repubblica Magazine, Khan argued that the economic and social damage caused by leaving the EU is now beyond dispute, and that full membership is ultimately unavoidable. He framed the question not as whether Britain will return, but how long it will take to get there.
A Five-Stage Plan Back Into the Bloc
The Mayor outlined what he described as a five-stage roadmap toward rejoining, beginning with re-entry into the customs union and single market during the current parliament, before ultimately seeking full EU membership. He argued that any trade arrangement outside the EU would always be inferior to membership itself, and that incremental improvements to post-Brexit relations would never be sufficient.
His proposals go considerably further than Labour’s official position, which centres on improving the UK’s existing trade relationship with Europe rather than seeking to reverse the 2016 referendum result.
The Case Khan Is Making
Khan pointed to a fall in the number of EU nationals living and working in London as one of the most visible consequences of Brexit. He noted that the figure had dropped from roughly 840,000 in 2019 to around 700,000 today, with the loss felt particularly sharply in construction and hospitality.
He also cited research suggesting the UK economy would have been meaningfully larger had it remained in the EU, and argued that rejoining would be the single most effective step available to ease the cost-of-living pressures facing British households.
On the broader geopolitical picture, Khan suggested that shifting global dynamics — including strained relations with the United States and the dominance of large trading blocs — made the case for membership stronger, not weaker.
Where the Government Stands
Labour’s current position stops well short of what Khan is proposing. The government has focused its efforts on resetting the UK’s relationship with Brussels through improved trade terms, while ruling out a return to the single market or customs union. Khan’s intervention is likely to reignite internal debate within the party about how far it is prepared to go on Europe ahead of the next electoral cycle.
No date has been set for the next general election, which must be held by August 2029.
