This will go down well at Downing Street
London’s New Year’s fireworks took on a distinctly European feel as the UK’s capital saw in 2019.
The annual display is the centrepiece of the BBC’s countdown coverage and draws tens of thousands of people to the city’s streets on the last day of the year.
This time the celebrations had a very obvious anti-Brexit sentiment, as the London Eye was lit to resemble an EU flag and the phrase ‘London is open’ was read out over the sound system in Spanish, Polish, French, Romanian, German and Italian.
Music was provided courtesy of Irish, Swedish and French artists, including tracks ‘We Are Your Friends,’ ‘Stay’ and ‘Don’t Leave Me Alone.’
Taking place metres away from the Houses of Parliament, the display sent a strong message in support of membership of the European Union.
In the 2016 referendum on EU membership, London voted 60 per cent to Remain, a stand out result running counter to the rest of the country. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for a second referendum and said the Tories are “making a mess of Brexit.
In the build up to midnight the Mayor said he wanted this year’s display to “send a message of support” to the more than one million EU citizens living in London.
He said: “One of the things which upset many, many Londoners and many people across our country and in Europe is the tone and language used by politicians in Westminster, giving the impression we’re insular, inward looking, not welcoming to Europeans.
“I think the Government’s made a mess of negotiations with the European Union.
“Bearing in mind Parliament can’t resolve the issue of how we will leave the European Union, we should allow the public to take back control with the option of staying in European Union, or accepting the deal made by the government.”
During the fireworks show, some 70,000 projectiles, including 12,000 fireworks were launched, making the display the biggest of its kind in Europe.
