London independence

Last updated
Brexit referendum results in Greater London by borough
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Leave
Remain United Kingdom EU referendum 2016 area results (Greater London).svg
Brexit referendum results in Greater London by borough
  Leave
  Remain

London independence, sometimes shortened to Londependence and Londexit, [1] refers to a belief favouring full-fledged independence for London as a city-state separate from the United Kingdom. The idea received particular attention after the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, in which the country at large voted to leave the European Union, but 60% of Londoners voted to remain, though the concept of an independent London had been discussed sporadically for some years before.

Contents

Banner of arms of the Greater London Council (1965-86) Flag of Greater London.svg
Banner of arms of the Greater London Council (1965–86)

Movement

Supporters have often cited Singapore as a successful example for a fully-fledged and sovereign London. SingaporeCBD9.jpg
Supporters have often cited Singapore as a successful example for a fully-fledged and sovereign London.

London's status within the United Kingdom has been debated for several years, with some calls for increased autonomy, [2] [3] Supporters have frequently cited Greater London's population of over 8 million people, its economic size, its global role, its diverse population and its unique challenges compared to the rest of England as reasons for greater autonomy. The idea of London becoming a city-state resurfaced during the Scottish independence referendum of 2014. [3]

The movement for either increased autonomy or full sovereignty received a boost following the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in 2016, during which the UK as a whole voted to leave the European Union (at under 52% leave), although the majority of London voted for the UK to remain in the EU (60% remain). This led to 180,000 Londoners petitioning Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London online to seek London's independence from the UK so it could remain part of the EU. Supporters cite London's status as a "world city" and its demographic and economic differences from the rest of the United Kingdom, and argue that it should become a city-state based on the model of Singapore, while remaining an EU member state. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Spencer, Lord Livermore of the Labour Party said that London's independence "should be a goal", arguing that a Greater London city-state would have twice the GDP of Singapore. [11] Journalist Tony Travers argued that Khan would be "well within his rights to tell the government London didn't vote for Brexit and that City Hall now viewed the government as dysfunctional." Analyst Kevin Doran said that London becoming an independent state is not just possible, but inevitable "within 20 to 30 years' time." [12]

After the EU referendum vote, Peter John, the Labour Party leader of the London Borough of Southwark stated it would be a "legitimate question" for London to consider its future in the United Kingdom and the European Union. Southwark had voted 72% in favour of remaining in the EU. John also said "London would be the 15th largest EU state, bigger than Austria, Denmark and Ireland and our values are in line with Europe – outward looking, confident of our place in the world, enriched by our diversity and stronger working together with our friends and neighbours than we are alone." [13]

Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy wrote a piece in the Evening Standard in March 2017 arguing in favour of London becoming a city state in the event of a Hard or No deal Brexit. [14]

The Londependence Party is a registered political party and first stood candidates in the May 2021 London Assembly Elections. The party gained 5,746 votes [15] on the London-wide list. This party deregistered February 2024. [16]

Public opinion

Two opinion polls have been carried out by the polling company YouGov on Londoners' preferred constitutional status.

Date(s)
conducted
Polling organisation/clientSample sizeLondon IndependenceLondon ParliamentStatus Quo (London Assembly)Abolish the AssemblyUndecided
1–6 July 2016 YouGov/Evening Standard 1,06111%23%32%7%28%
8–13 Oct 2014 YouGov/Evening Standard 5%30%30%6%29%

A different survey of 2,001 people carried out by the firm Censuswide in September 2014 found that 19.9% of Londoners wanted the city to become independent, with support for this being highest among people aged 25–34. [17]

Criticism

The idea of London independence has been criticised as unrealistic. Brian Groom of the Financial Times wrote that "it is ludicrous to think of any nation gladly waving goodbye to its capital", calling the idea of secession a "fantasy". [18]

Dr. James Ker-Lindsay, a senior research fellow at the London School of Economics who specialises in secession movements, stated with regard to a referendum on London Independence that it "seems difficult to see how any government would ever agree to such a vote." He also said if London broke away unilaterally it would not be able to join the United Nations, as its membership application would be subject to the United Kingdom's permanent veto on the United Nations Security Council. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish independence</span> Independence movement in Europe

Scottish independence is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadiq Khan</span> Mayor of London since 2016

Sir Sadiq Aman Khan is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's soft left and has been ideologically characterised as a social democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom</span> Criticism/opposition to the European Union in the United Kingdom

Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom is a continuum of belief ranging from the opposition to certain political policies of the European Union to the complete opposition to the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union. It has been a significant element in the politics of the United Kingdom (UK). A 2009 Eurobarometer survey of EU citizens showed support for membership of the EU was lowest in the United Kingdom, alongside Latvia and Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withdrawal from the European Union</span> Legal process of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union

Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) provides for the possibility of an EU member state leaving the European Union "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Separatism in the United Kingdom</span> List of separatists movements in the UK

Separatism in the United Kingdom may refer to the secession of any of the countries of the United Kingdom from the union. Less significant movements for separatism exist such as Cornwall within England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum</span> Referendum on leaving the European Union

The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, was a referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 to ask the electorate whether the country should continue to remain a member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). The result was a vote in favour of leaving the EU, triggering calls to begin the process of the country's withdrawal from the EU commonly termed "Brexit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brexit</span> The UKs withdrawal from the EU

Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

A number of politicians, public figures, newspapers and magazines, businesses and other organisations endorsed either the United Kingdom remaining in the EU or the United Kingdom leaving the EU during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaigning in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum</span> Public outreach by politicians in the lead-up to Brexit

Campaigning in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum began unofficially on 20 February 2016 when Prime Minister David Cameron formally announced under the terms of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 that a referendum would be held on the issue of the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. The official campaign period for the 2016 referendum ran from 15 April 2016 until the day of the poll on 23 June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Results of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum</span>

The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum took place in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on 23 June 2016. Membership of the European Union had been a topic of political debate in the United Kingdom since the country joined the European Communities in 1973. This referendum was conducted very differently from the European Communities membership referendum in 1975; a more localised and regionalised counting procedure was used, and the ballot was overseen by the Electoral Commission, a public body that did not exist at the time of the first vote. This article lists, by voting area for Great Britain and Gibraltar and by parliamentary constituency for Northern Ireland, all the results of the referendum, each ordered into national and regional sections.

"Project Fear" is a term that has entered common usage in British politics in the 21st century, mainly in relation to two major referendum debates: the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and then again during and after the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership (Brexit). The phrase has been used to characterise claims of economic and socio-political dangers—primarily those that would result from a change to the existing political status quo—as scaremongering and pessimism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed second Scottish independence referendum</span> Possible future referendum

A second referendum on Scotland becoming independent of the United Kingdom (UK) has been proposed by the Scottish Government. An independence referendum was first held on 18 September 2014, with 55% voting "No" to independence. The Scottish Government stated in its white paper for independence that voting Yes was a "once in a generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation". Following the "No" vote, the cross party Smith Commission proposed areas that could be devolved to the Scottish Parliament; this led to the passing of the Scotland Act 2016, formalising new devolved policy areas in time for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election campaign.

After the British EU membership referendum held on 23 June 2016, in which a majority voted to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom experienced political and economic upsets, with spillover effects across the rest of the European Union and the wider world. Prime Minister David Cameron, who had campaigned for Remain, announced his resignation on 24 June, triggering a Conservative leadership election, won by Home Secretary Theresa May. Following Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn's loss of a motion of no confidence among the Parliamentary Labour Party, he also faced a leadership challenge, which he won. Nigel Farage stepped down from leadership of the pro-Leave party UKIP in July. After the elected party leader resigned, Farage then became the party's interim leader on 5 October until Paul Nuttall was elected leader on 28 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union</span> Invocation of the EUs withdrawal process for "Brexit"

On 29 March 2017, the United Kingdom (UK) invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) which began the member state's withdrawal, commonly known as Brexit, from the European Union (EU). In compliance with the TEU, the UK gave formal notice to the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU to allow withdrawal negotiations to begin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 United Kingdom general election in Scotland</span>

A general election was held in the United Kingdom on Thursday 8 June 2017; all 59 seats in Scotland were contested under the first-past-the-post electoral system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom membership of the European Union</span>

The United Kingdom was a member state of the European Union (EU) and of its predecessor the European Communities (EC) – principally the European Economic Community (EEC) – from 1 January 1973 until 31 January 2020. Since the foundation of the EEC, the UK had been an important neighbour and then a leading member state, until Brexit ended 47 years of membership. During the UK's time as a member state two referendums were held on the issue of its membership: the first, held on 5 June 1975, resulting in a vote to stay in the EC, and the second, held on 23 June 2016, resulting in a vote to leave the EU.

Since the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, a number of demonstrations have taken place and organisations formed whose goal has been to oppose, reverse or otherwise impede that decision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Vote</span> UK campaign group that called for a further public vote on Brexit

People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of Parliament spoke, along with the actor Patrick Stewart and other public figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Results of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum by constituency</span>

The results of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum were not counted by parliamentary constituencies except in Northern Ireland. However, a number of local councils and districts released the referendum results by electoral ward or constituency, while in some cases constituency boundaries were coterminous with their local government district. For the remaining constituencies, Dr Chris Hanretty, a Reader in Politics at the University of East Anglia, estimated through a demographic model the 'Leave' and 'Remain' votes in each constituency. Hanretty urges caution in the interpretation of the data as the estimates have a margin of error.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement</span> Proposal for a second referendum

A referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, also referred to as a "second referendum", a "rerun", a "people's vote", or a "confirmatory public vote", was proposed by a number of politicians and pressure groups as a way to break the deadlock during the 2017–19 Parliament surrounding the meaningful vote on the Brexit deal.

References

  1. "'Londependence' May Be a Dream, but More Autonomy for the City Is Not". The New York Times. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  2. "The UK needs a devolved government for London". 30 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Richard G. "London after Brexit: independence a non-starter but special status could protect global position". Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. "Second Scotland Referendum 'Highly Likely'". Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  5. Hedges-Stocks, Zoah. "Londoners call for independence from UK". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  6. "It's time for London to leave the UK". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. "Thousands call on Sadiq Khan to declare London's independence". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. "'Londependence' petition calls for London to join the EU on its own". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  9. "Mayor Sadiq Khan demands more autonomy for London after Brexit vote - The Washington Post". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  10. Metro.co.uk, Nicole Morley for (24 June 2016). "70,000 sign petition for London to become independent and rejoin the EU". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  11. "London Independence Goes Beyond A Twitter Joke With Politicians Seriously Discussing It". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  12. "Could London break away from the UK?". The Week UK. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  13. Alex Yeates (24 June 2016). "Southwark Council Leader backs calls for London to consider independence from UK after EU Referendum result". Southwark News . Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  14. Lammy, David (20 March 2017). "David Lammy: London must look to be a city-state if hard Brexit goes ahead". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  15. "London Assembly Final Results 2021" (PDF). 9 May 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  16. "Londependence [De-registered 09/02/24]". 9 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. Moore-Bridger, Benedict (10 September 2014). "'One in five Londoners want the capital to become independent'". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017. 19.9 per cent of the 2,001 people surveyed agree[d] it [London] would be better off as its own country.
  18. Groom, Brian (26 August 2013). "Could London ever be a city-state?" . Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2017. This is, of course, fantasy. Unlike Scotland, London has no separatist movement.
  19. Kesvani, Hussein (17 April 2014). "We Asked an Expert How London Could Gain Independence from the UK". Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.