Sadiq Khan urges London MPs to do ‘whatever it takes’ to block no-deal Brexit
Sadiq Khan has urged London MPs to do “whatever it takes” to stop a no-deal Brexit as parliament gears up for a showdown with Boris Johnson this week.
The mayor of London, who has campaigned for a second referendum or people’s vote, has written to all 73 MPs in the capital to consider all options to block a no-deal Brexit.
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MPs return from the summer recess tomorrow. It is expected that a cross-party group will attempt to seize control of the parliamentary agenda, with the help of speaker John Bercow, and launch a bill that would force the Prime Minister to seek an extension to the 31 October Brexit deadline.
Johnson has repeatedly said he will take the UK out of the EU by that date with or without a deal.
Those minded to back legislation to block no deal, including former chancellor Philip Hammond and former justice secretary David Gauke, face being thrown out of the party and having the Conservative whip removed.
Khan said: “I’m urging every London MP to do what’s right for our city and our country by doing whatever it takes to stop a no-deal Brexit.
“A no-deal Brexit would cause huge disruption, make us poorer, less safe and diminish our global standing. It would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, tens of billions of pounds in investment and put the rights and freedoms of EU citizens at risk.
“That’s why I’m calling on all London MPs – from all political parties – to immediately put aside their differences to prevent a no-deal Brexit for the good of their constituents, our capital and our country.”
Another potential route to avoiding no deal is to bring down the government with a vote of no confidence, a move some Tory MPs have said they would be prepared to back.
However, others are reluctant to install Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street as the head of a temporary caretaker government.
Khan added: “History will judge our parliamentarians on this issue like few before. So MPs must think carefully about how they will be remembered if they fail to use their position at this pivotal moment to help stop a damaging no-deal Brexit.”
Earlier this year Khan said leaving the single market would damage the UK and London for “decades to come” and lead to 87,000 job losses in the capital by 2030, and 500,000 nationwide.
Read more: Sadiq Khan urges Boris Johnson to drop £30,000 immigrant salary threshold
The mayor has also urged the government to drop its proposed £30,000 salary threshold for skilled immigrants after Brexit.
Khan said the minimum salary threshold should be lowered to £21,000 a year, the equivalent of the London living wage, for the Tier 2 “skilled worker” rather than the proposed £30,000.