A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“This afternoon the Prime Minister hosted a further meeting of her Business Advisory Council at Downing Street.
“The Prime Minister opened the roundtable with a summary of key moments in the past few weeks, including progress in the Brexit negotiations, the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and the Industrial Strategy.
“On the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the Prime Minister spoke about the need to reach agreement with the EU on the terms of the implementation period ahead of the March European Council next week, which the attendees agreed would be vital in providing certainty to businesses and people across the UK.
“She then reiterated the themes from her Mansion House Speech which set out an ambitious partnership with the EU, one driven by principled practicality rather than ideology. The business leaders welcomed the detail provided in the speech and gave their support.
“The Prime Minister and business leaders also discussed the government’s Industrial Strategy, agreeing on the importance for government and business to work together on all aspects of the plan, particularly investing in the infrastructure and skills needed to support UK productivity growth and the ambition of the government’s “Grand Challenges”.
“The meeting was also attended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer who provided an update on the Spring Statement, the Business Secretary, Greg Clark, who discussed the Industrial Strategy and Brexit Minister, Suella Fernandes, who spoke about Ministerial engagement with European Member States.”
Attendees
Ivan Menezes, CEO, Diageo
Constantin Cotzias, Director of Bloomberg Europe, Bloomberg
António Horta-Osório, CEO, Lloyds Banking Group
Jan du Plessis, Chairman, BT
Moya Greene, CEO, Royal Mail
Sir Charlie Mayfield, CEO, John Lewis Partnership
Ian Davis, Chairman, Rolls Royce
Mike Cherry OBE, National Chairman, FSB
Dr Adam Marshall, DG, BCC
Stephen Phipson CBE, DG, EEF
Carolyn Fairbairn, DG, CBI
Jayne-Anne Gadhia CBE, CEO, Virgin Money plc
Dame Helena, Head of Personal Investing, Legal & General Group plc
Oliver Benzecry, Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Accenture, UK and Ireland
Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV
Link: Press release: PM hosts Business Advisory Council meeting: 15 March
Source: Gov Press Releases
