Khan has made a fresh call for London and other cities to be given more powers after Brexit, saying that cities and regional governments are best placed to tackle major issues, coming up with the innovative solutions to the big challenges.
In particular, he urged wholescale reform for council tax and business rates – something that London has previously used to boost investment in infrastructure.
“Our cities are the future. Not this broken national model. We’re the ones who can lead the charge when it comes to solving the problems of our times," he argued.
“There’s so much potential, just waiting to be unleashed. But we can’t do it without being unshackled – without the necessary powers and resources.
“I’m calling on the Prime Minister to reboot the devolution agenda. And to hand over more control. More control over funding for housing and public services.”
Judith Blake, chair of Core Cities UK and leader of Leeds City Council, agreed. “The UK is still one of the most heavily centralised states in the developed world. Running almost everything centrally in this way is holding our economy back and it reinforces the view that growth is a zero sum game, so if you have it in one city, you can’t have it in another.”