Press Release

Mayor Sadiq Khan launches #LondonIsOpen campaign

18th of July 2016

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today launched a major campaign to show that London is united and open for business and to the world following the EU referendum.

#LondonIsOpen will show the world that London remains entrepreneurial, international, and full of creativity and possibility, while reassuring the more than one million foreign nationals who live in London that they will always be welcome, and that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated.

The Mayor is urging all Londoners, organisations and businesses to show their support for the #LondonIsOpen message via social media, through other creative ways. The starting idea for the campaign is built around London opening its doors to welcome people in, and will encourage people to use this as a platform for their own contributions. A film of famous locations opening their doors has been produced https://youtu.be/ErLq9nir41E.

#LondonIsOpen kicked off with a film first broadcast last week at Stevie Wonder’s London Hyde Park concert to a 65,000-strong crowd. A line-up of creative and musical stars feature in this film, one of a series, declaring #LondonIsOpen, including Jude Law, Jarvis Cocker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-scNhLVgQ) Corrine Bailey Rae and Olly Murs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyAriyj1uug), Konnie Huq and Chris Moyles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd2HZiI-Ioc) as well as Niall Horan, Baaba Maal, Ella Eyre, Lianne La Havas, and The Mystery Jets.

From the business world, top names backing #LondonIsOpen include Richard Branson, City of London Policy Chairman Mark Boleat, Chief Executive of London Stock Exchange Xavier Rolet, Google, Hilton, Merlin Entertainments, Freuds, Chief Executive of Patisserie Valerie Paul May, Pavegen, Central Working, Swiftkey, Seedrs and Unruly.

Others endorsing the campaign include Nigel Carrington, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts, Prof Julia Black, Interim Director designate and Pro Director for Research, London School of Economics, Professor Edward Byrne AC, President & Principal, King’s College London and Professor Pat Bailey, Deputy Vice Chancellor, London South Bank University.

#LondonIsOpen will be promoted at major events and leading visitor attractions across the capital this summer, including at the world’s first ever International Busking Day in Trafalgar Square (Saturday 23 July), which will see London joining with more than 50 locations across the UK, and 40 other major world cities, for the most ambitious celebration of street performance ever staged.

Sadiq Khan said: “London is the best city in the world. It is creative, international, entrepreneurial and full of opportunities. I’m incredibly proud to be Mayor of a city that’s so comfortable with its diversity and so optimistic about its future.

"We don’t simply tolerate each others’ differences, we celebrate them. Many people from all over the globe live and work here, contributing to every aspect of life in our city. We now need to make sure that people across London, and the globe, hear that #LondonIsOpen. I urge everyone to get involved with this simple but powerful campaign to send a positive message to the world.”

Sadiq has made a call out to creatives to join the #LondonIsOpen movement, spreading the message that London is open for business, for people, for ideas. This is an 'open source' invitation for designs to be shared across social platforms and different media.

The Mayor is inviting leading international artists from all nationalities to interpret #LondonIsOpen. Working with TfL’s art commissioning programme, Art on the Underground, this series of artworks will appear all across the transport network. Confirmed artists include Sol Calero, Alexandre da Cunha, Gillian Wearing, Bedwyr Williams, Jeremy Deller and Fraser Muggeridge studio, Hew Locke, David Shrigley, Tania Bruguera and Mark Titchner.