Bad Brexit a disaster for the UK, says US investor
members of the Church of England on things.”
Mrs May was also last night facing a fresh Tory rebellion over her Brexit plan when Amber Rudd, the former Home Secretary, said she favoured a second referendum over a no-deal scenario. She told Peston, ITV’S new political programme: “I think that a people’s vote could be the result of an impasse. Is it preferable to no-deal? Absolutely.”
Ms Rudd also said she knew of 40 other Conservative MPS who, like her, would vote down a Canada-style trade deal favoured by Brexiteers.
On her trip to the US, the boss of a major US investor warned Mrs May – who addressed 200 business leaders about the advantages of investing in the UK after Britain leaves the EU – that a “bad Brexit” would be a disaster for the UK and could mean that Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister.
Steve Schwarzman, CEO of private equity fund Blackstone Group, told her at the meeting of the Bloomberg Business Forum that his company was a “believer” in the UK.
But he but he was worried about “how bad can things get”.
He said that “things could really go off with a bad Brexit and also a change of government. The things that we really worry about is how bad can things get? In terms of just thinking about it from a risk management perspective it’s a little daunting for those of us on the outside”.
Last week Blackstone bought 5,200 properties under railway bridge arches from Network Rail for £1.5billion.
Mrs May told Mr Schwarzman that she believed the UK “can get a good deal” but warned that there are “several weeks of intense work to be done in order to get to that point”.
She said: “I absolutely appreciate and understand – you’re making decisions and looking ahead to what the future holds. And at the moment there is that uncertainty about what the future will hold in terms of Brexit. First of all, just if I can say this again, we believe that we will and can get a good deal. And that’s because it’s not just about the UK, it’s about the EU as well, and I think that continued trading relationship is going to be good for both sides.”
Following the meeting between Mrs May and Mr Trump, Downing Street said that it was hopeful of securing an “ambitious” post-brexit trade deal with the US.