May deploys financier husband to woo business at dinners

Theresa May has enlisted her husband, who has worked in finance for more than 30 years, to help her charm business leaders as she prepares to take the country out of the European Union.
 
The Mays are hosting chief executives of some of the UK’s biggest companies at a series of dinners in No. 10 Downing Street, their official London home, in an effort to reassure them that the premier understands their concerns, according to three people who asked not to be named discussing private arrangements. Bosses are invited to bring their partners with them to create a cordial and relaxed atmosphere, they said.
   
“We have a constant, positive engagement with the business community who, like us, want to grasp the opportunities that Brexit provides,” May’s office said in an e-mailed statement.
 
The dinner parties, which involve 20 to 30 people and will be held monthly, illustrate a softening in May’s approach to corporations.