Lewisham Deptford CLP recently passed the motion below in its debate over submissions to London Labour Party conference, but decided to send a different motion.
Other CLPs may like to consider adopting the core content embedded in the “London-specific” wording (in the “believes” section, italicised below), and may even want to add an explicit call for a perspective of rejoining the EU.
London, Brexit and the Free Trade Agreement
Conference notes
1. that the Port of London is the UK’s largest port in competition with Rotterdam and Antwerp
2. that Horizon Europe funded €1.3bn to London research
3. that London is the world’s premiere University city; its pre-eminence jeopardised by exclusion from Erasmus+ & Horizon Europe
4. many thousands of financial services jobs have moved from the City to the EU
5. that the Tory ‘Hard Brexit’ has led to reduced foreign inward investment, a worsening balance of trade, reduced employment, a labour shortage in many industries, particularly agriculture, hospitality and the NHS, and sterling has lost value against both the dollar and the euro.
6. that the labour shortages are compounded by xenophobia and the Tories’ morally disgraceful “hostile environment”
7. that there are over 1.1m EU citizen’s living in London many of whom will have come to be restricted by the measures of the hostile environment
Conference believes
1. That in order to reverse the damage done by Brexit, we must advocate re-joining the European Single Market and Customs Union.
2. That restoring free movement between the UK and EU would be a benefit, socially and economically, not a cost.
Conference calls on the PLP and the Mayor,
1. to call for a new relationship with the EU involving the adoption of the single market and customs union
2. to campaign in opposition and in Government to rejoin Horizon Europe and Erasmus+
3. to call for the repeal of the cruel hostile environment.