At The Times CEO summit, he warned the Government to “move fast” on devolution as London could not afford to “hang around” for the outcome of the European Union negotiations before giving London more control.
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London largely voted to remain in the European Union in the referendum, with only five boroughs voting leave in the capital, including west London’s Hillingdon area.
Mr Khan, who is one of the country’s most prominent pro-LGBT Muslim politicians, was elected Mayor of London last month.
Although his speech contained few specifics, the Mayor said he would be seeking the ability “to protect London’s economy from the uncertainty ahead, to protect the businesses from around the world who trade here and to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity”.
The UK economy has already been noticeably affected by the results of the referendum, with UK shares and its national currency, the pound sterling, continuing their fall.
In a speech delivered to business leaders in the capital on Tuesday, Khan – who took office in May – used the Leave campaign’s frequently cited slogan of “Taking Back Control” to suggest that Britain’s political, social, and financial capital needs more power to self-govern once the United Kingdom does leave the European Union. And more autonomy to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity.
Khan pushed the government to move quickly on devolution powers, asking for greater tax-raising powers, city planning, health, transport, the courts and public services.
“London needs to be able to determine its own future from now on”, Khan said.
Speaking to CityAM, Khan said that the loss of passporting would be “a disaster” and was worth up to £10bn for the City of London.
Baroness Jo Valentine, CEO of London First, said: “The Mayor is right that we must remain part of the single market”.
He added: “If we don’t stamp out “low-level stuff”, name-calling, racial abuse, that can lead to more serious stuff and that should have no place in our society”.
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Now, as much as I might like the idea of a London city state, I’m not seriously talking about independence today. “I am not planning to install border points on the M25”, Khan told the conference in London.
