The London Brexit Debate

  Whether you’re a confirmed Brexiteer or a devout Remainer, you’ll agree that probably the most significant event to affect London in a generation is Brexit. That’s why the London Society – working with the OnLondon website – is holding a debate on the topic on 13 September. Book tickets now at the ‘early bird’ rate – just £5 for members of the Society and £10 for non-members.Confirmed speakers include Labour peer and former government minister Lord Adonis, who is now devoting all his time and energy to making the case that Brexit should be stopped completely. He has described London as the effective “capital of Europe” and warned that its fall from such glory could be swift and sudden. Taking the opposite view will be senior London Conservative Daniel Moylan, an experienced former councillor and adviser to Boris Johnson during his time as London Mayor. Writing for On London, he has argued that fears for London’s prosperity are much overstated and that “Brexit will make London more global” along with liberating it from an immigration system that is “functionally racist”. London stood out against most of the rest of England by voting strongly for the UK to remain a member of the European Union and the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has repeatedly warned that the consequences of Brexit will be bad for the capital. But is he right? London’s economy is famously resilient and adaptable and seems unlikely to lose to its global appeal and identity any time soon. Might leaving the EU actually enable London to become stronger and even more outward looking? Chaired by Dave Hill of OnLondon, our debate hopes to generate more light than heat. Come along and listen to the arguments on 13 September.