Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meets with British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) nearly four months after taking the reins of the Labour party
Jeremy Corbyn is apparently launching a charm offensive to woo British businesses this week, meeting with executives at both the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Confederation of British Industry for the first time since being selected as Labour leader last September.
A BCC spokesman confirmed to City A.M. that Corbyn met privately with BCC director general John Longworth earlier today, saying the two men had a "positive discussion about a variety of business issues".
"The BCC will continue to dialogue with Labour, as we do with all political parties, in the interests of businesses of all sizes across the country," the spokesman added.
City A.M. reported on Monday that Corbyn was also scheduled to sit down with Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director-general Carolyn Fairbairn this week.
Corbyn drew sharp criticism when he declined an invitation to address the CBI's annual conference last year.
Fairbairn, who took the reins of the country's largest employers' organisation in November, told City A.M. that politicians would "get better results if they consulted business".
"Businesses completely understand that there is a challenge facing the whole economy in terms of how we reduce the deficit and the sharing of that load," she said in an interview last autumn.