LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan is urging businesses to use their influence on Conservative Party members to highlight the consequences of taking a no-deal Brexit off the table.
The two Tory leadership contenders — Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt — have said they were prepared to take UK out of the EU in October with or without a deal.
In a speech to the CBI yesterday (4), Khan said the contest to succeed Theresa May has become a “bizarre contest to see which man will promise the most economically damaging plans”.
“The Conservative Party leadership race seems to have descended into a race to the bottom. It has become a bizarre contest to see which man will promise the most economically damaging plans,” Khan said.
Saying both the candidates were competing to see who can sound the most macho, Khan said the refusal to take “no-deal off the table is already creating uncertainty, denting business confidence and damaging our economy.”
“All of this is creating additional costs for business, jeopardising expansion plans and making forecasting impossible,” said the mayor. “The damage that Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are seemingly willing to do to our country, and our economy, in pursuit of power looks limitless.
“And for both men, it demonstrates that they simply don’t care about the real world consequences as long as they achieve personal power.”
Calling the situation “thoroughly depressing”, Khan said businesses should raise their voice to safeguard their interests.
Praising CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn for speaking out on Brexit, Khan said: “And now – more than ever – it’s the time to make your voice heard and to use your influence on Conservative Party members. Because the voice of business needs to be heard loud and clear.”
