We’ll get a deal in November, May tells UK business

THE Prime Minister struck an upbeat tone yesterday as she reported back from the EU summit to 120 UK business leaders in person for the first time.

During a telephone conference call from her Maidenhead constituency, she reportedly told the senior executives she believed European leaders were committed to striking a Brexit agreement with the UK this autumn.

A source revealed after the briefing: “She spoke for about 10 minutes and the tone of her message was quite optimistic.

“She said she believed that the European leaders were very much committed to an agreement this autumn. She said that her aim was to wrap this up in November.”

Business leaders invited to join the call included senior management at Tesco, Diageo, RBS and the CBI. It is believed to be the first time the Prime Minister, rather than Downing Street’s business liaison team, has personally hosted such a teleconference to update them after a Brussels summit.

Some see it as a sign of Downing Street’s increasing nervousness about how business is reacting to negative news about the Brexit negotiations.

Downing Street insisted Mrs May had been listening to business and hearing and addressing their concerns throughout the talks process. A spokeswoman said: “There is no doubt we take their views very seriously and consider them incredibly important.”