THE Spanish government has reiterated that it would welcome Britain back with open arms into the European Union after prime minister Pedro Sanchez hosted the mayor of London for talks in Madrid.
A source close to London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan heaped praise on Spain’s leader as the pair discussed reversing Brexit during a meeting in Madrid, according to The Standard.
Khan has repeatedly criticised the ‘real damage’ Brexit has caused to the UK capital.
“Sadiq has said it before and he’ll say it again — Brexit has done real damage to London and is costing Londoners, day in, day out, economically, socially and culturally,” they said.
The mayor met with the Spanish leader in the capital this week to strengthen cooperation between the city and Spain.
A source close to the mayor said it was ‘incredibly powerful’ to hear the Spanish leader express openness to the UK rejoining the bloc.
“Today’s meeting was about London and Spain standing together — and sending a clear message that progressive, open, internationalist politics isn’t going anywhere.”
“Europe needs us and we need Europe,” they added.
Khan is said to have expressed ‘real admiration’ for the Spanish prime minister during the talks.
The London mayor praised the willingness of Sanchez to speak out on global issues such as Gaza.
Both leaders also discussed their shared opposition to the rise of populist politics and Donald Trump.
“What’s happening in the world right now is deeply worrying, with the fanning of division and attacks on democratic norms. Both London and Spain have stood strong and refused to go along with it. Sadiq and Prime Minister Sanchez were clear about that”, the source said.
Sanchez has recently drawn attention across Europe with a controversial migrant amnesty in Spain.
The policy aims to bring hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers into the formal economy to boost growth.
This faced pushback from conservative voices in the EU who favour stricter border controls.
Meanwhile, Khan remains at the forefront of calls to rebuild ties with Brussels.
He recently claimed the London economy could be £30 billion larger had the UK remained in the EU.
The mayor described the impact of Brexit as ‘humongous.’
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