Summary
London has been growing since the early 1990s, and the capital’s openness, diversity and economic specialisation have made it one of the world’s leading global cities, though this growth has also brought strains on infrastructure and affordability. Brexit will represent a dramatic change, for London as for the rest of the UK.
This manifesto, drawing on ‘Open City – London After Brexit’, a joint project between Centre for London and the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, identifies the challenges for London, and argues for the policies and measures that the next Government and the Mayor of London should adopt to make a success of Brexit for the capital, backed by a new alliance of city leaders.
In the short term, London needs devolved powers to attract and develop the domestic, European and global talent, and the terms of trade that enable prosperity – a better Brexit. In the longer term, to maintain competitiveness from outside the EU, London needs new powers over taxation to meet its housing and infrastructure needs, and to better manage its property market – a better city.