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Sadiq Khan today appointed a panel of senior business figures to advise him on the risks and opportunities presented by Brexit.

The Mayor’s heavyweight group includes Canary Wharf boss George Iacobescu, Santander chair Baroness Vadera and former EU trade commissioner Lord Mandelson.

The Brexit Expert Advisory Panel will provide on-call guidance and includes members of key sectors in the capital, including financial services, technology, science and the media, and education.

The team includes Xavier Rolet, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange Group, Julia Onslow-Cole, head of global immigration at PwC and Sir John Sorrell, chairman of the Creative Industries Federation.

The Mayor had called for a seat at the Government table during Brexit negotiations, along with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. His request was turned down in favour of monthly face-to-face talks with Brexit Secretary David Davis, who said his “door is open” to Mr Khan.

The panel will help the Mayor prepare for these meetings so that he can push for the best solutions for the capital and members will meet on an ad hoc basis.

Mr Khan said: “This expert group of advisers will allow me to tap into some of our top business minds as negotiations progress.

“Securing privileged access to the single market, maintaining a world-class financial sector and ensuring London can continue to attract global talent are all recurring themes.”

Mark Boleat, City of London policy chairman and a member of the panel, said: “London’s success is based on the incredible number of interconnected businesses and sectors that support each other. If one sector suffers, the knock-on effects to the capital’s whole economy could be substantial.

“ The Mayor understands this and I’m pleased he’ll be using his meetings with David Davis to ensure that the Government does as well.”

Fellow panel member Professor Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said: “It is vital that the capital has the access to the talent and market conditions needed to create the jobs, prosperity and discoveries that will improve the lives of all Londoners.”

Other panel members, who will not be paid for their work, include Catherine Dixon, chief executive of the Law Society, Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK chief, Vanessa Kingori, publisher of British GQ, Victoria Quinlan, boss of Lendlease Europe, Geoffrey Spence, head of global infrastructure at Lloyds Bank, and Sherry Coutu, of the ScaleUp Institute.

Tory leader on the London Assembly Gareth Bacon criticised the appointment of Lord Mandelson as an advisor to the Mayor on Brexit.

“Leaving aside Peter Mandelson’s numerous controversies in public office, this is a bizarre appointment. Sadiq Khan is appointing as an EU advisor a former EU Commissioner who is banned from ever criticising the EU at risk of losing a significant pension," he said.

“Now that the British people have voted to leave Europe, the Mayor’s job is to make the best of that decision for London and Londoners. On those terms, appointing the Blairite Peter Mandelson to any sort of role is a gross misjudgement and one the Mayor should reverse immediately.”