Talk

London Beyond Brexit

Monday 7 November 2016 6.30 - 8pm

Geological Society, Piccadilly, W1

£12, £6 concessions. Includes panel discussion and drinks reception.

Sold out

What will be the implications of Brexit on London’s development and status as a global city over the next few decades? Our panel discusses.

Brexit has consumed political and media attention since the vote to leave was announced on the morning of 24 June, and looks set to dominate the agenda both nationally and locally for the foreseeable future. In this event, we explore what the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will mean for London and its relationships with the rest of the country and the world.

One of the early consequences of the Brexit vote has been to bring into sharp relief the economic, political, social and cultural imbalance between London and the rest of the UK. London generates nearly 1/3 of the UK’s tax, in effect subsidising the rest of the country. But whether through restrictions to freedom of movement or uncertainty over the financial services industry’s access to the common market, London’s economic success has been clearly put at risk by the vote to leave. Given that London voted 60% to remain, this raises a series of reaching questions.

Can London remain a global city outside of the EU? Should it, if London's success comes at the expense of the rest of the UK? Will London become less attractive to investment and if so, what will the effects be on development, especially with regard to housing? What opportunities does Brexit offer for remaking the relationship between London and the rest of the UK for the better? Our panel offers some answers.

Speakers include:
Iwona Blazwick – Director, Whitechapel Gallery
Stella Creasy – Member of Parliament for Walthamstow
Paul Finch – Programme Director, World Architecture Festival; columnist, Architects' Journal
Carol Patterson – Director, UK, OMA
Tom Copley AM – Deputy Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee; Member of the Planning and Transport Committees
Ben Rogers – Director, Centre for London (chair)