Ahead of the Conservative Party conference, Kemi Badenoch declined to say whether Brexit has been good for London, insisting that voters prefer to move on rather than reopen the EU debate. Her comments came as Labour figures, including Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan, renewed calls for the UK to rejoin the bloc, setting the stage for a potential showdown in the 2028 London mayoral race.
Badenoch’s Stance on Brexit and London
When quizzed by BBC London’s political editor Karl Mercer, Badenoch replied: “The country voted, as did many people in London as well.” She refused to give a direct assessment of Brexit’s effect on the capital, arguing that her party is looking forward and that the electorate is “not interested in having a row, which we had 10 years ago”. She also dismissed the idea that the issue would dominate the upcoming mayoral contest, noting: “Well, the last Conservative mayor of London was also a Brexiteer, that was Boris Johnson, and he was somebody who people have very fond memories of.” Badenoch added that Londoners will judge the Conservatives and Labour on broader performance, not on Brexit alone.
Labour’s Push for Rejoining
Andy Burnham, speaking to The Telegraph, accused Badenoch of “living in the past” and labelled his own re‑join proposal as anything but lazy: “Andy Burnham is living in the past. I wasn’t even an MP when we voted to leave the European Union. I voted Leave. The country voted Leave. And what they want politicians to do is make it work rather than still trying to go back into the EU. It is lazy. It is lazy thinking from somebody who has run out of ideas and wants to refight the battles of the past.” Burnham has blamed Brexit for a decade of drift and division, insisting he could go “all the way” in proposing to rejoin the bloc. He said he would set out the options around the time of a UK‑EU summit in November and hinted that Labour’s next election manifesto might contain an in‑out referendum. Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan used the Labour conference to renew his demand for the UK to rejoin the EU and urged the prime minister to undertake the “heavy lifting”.
Polling Shifts and Political Implications
A Messina Group survey, first reported by The Guardian, found that 49 per cent of respondents support rejoining the EU, while 28.5 per cent are opposed. The same poll suggested that renegotiating Britain’s relationship with the EU could increase Labour’s vote share by as much as seven points. These figures add weight to Labour’s renewed focus on the issue and raise the prospect that Brexit could become a decisive factor in future London elections, despite Badenoch’s attempts to sidestep the debate.
Why it Matters
Badenoch’s refusal to assess Brexit’s impact on London highlights a strategic effort to shift Conservative discourse away from a divisive past, even as Labour capitalises on growing public support for EU re‑engagement. With polling showing a narrow but significant shift toward rejoining and potential electoral gains for Labour, the issue is poised to influence not only the next London mayoral race but also broader UK political calculations ahead of the next general election.
