London MPs lined up on their first day back in Parliament to slam Brexit.
Deirdre Costigan, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, was the first MP from the capital to lay into the Leave campaign in 2016.
She stressed: “Many of my constituents voted to leave the EU because they were bombarded with lies, from the mythical £350 million a week for the NHS that never appeared to the lie that immigration would come down when it actually trebled.”
Leave campaigners claimed Brexit would mean more money for the NHS
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Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, told how 87% of her constituents voted to Remain in the European Union and explained how local businesses had been hit by splintering away from the EU.
“Kitchen designer Neil Lerner told me that he had to close the doors on a family business that had lasted for more than 30 years because of a severe downturn in sales caused by Brexit, a local bakery told me that its paperwork nearly doubled before it closed because of Brexit.
“John Atkins, who ran a flower stall next to the Royal Free hospital for nearly 40 years, said that, because of post-Brexit bureaucracy, the cost of tulips has gone up by 50% since 2020.”
Tulip Siddiq heavily criticised Brexit
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Ben Coleman, Labour MP for Chelsea and Fulham, told a similar story, stressing; “There is a Spanish-Italian delicatessen in my constituency and it has gaps on its shelves.
“The small supplier of this Spanish-Italian deli has had enough of the reams of EU red tape that he has had to deal with since we left.”
Wimbledon Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler accused the Conservatives of being “in denial” over Brexit and its economic harm.
He said: “In south Wimbledon, a local Italian bakery La Bottega del Pane faces endless form filling.
“In Wimbledon village, the florist Gardenia of London faces similar hurdles.
“Stale bread and dead flowers—a fitting epitaph to Brexit.”
Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson led the Leave campaign
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Walthamstow Labour MP Stella Creasy argued for Brexit to be revisited but cautioned about the difficulties of going back into the European bloc.
“The British problem is that we too often think that the difficult bit is us deciding what our future relationship with Europe should be, and then we tell the Europeans,” she said.
Helen Hayes, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, highlighted changing demographics since 2016, with more young voters who were then not able to take part in the referendum.
Labour MP Marsha de Cordova
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Senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, who represents Harwich and North Essex defended Brexit, saying: “The UK economy has outgrown France and Germany since we left the EU in 2021.”
Mr Burnham wants to rebuild ties with Brussels, stressing that deals at a UK-EU summit on November 20 could eventually boost Britain’s economy by £10 billion a year.