May ditches Cameron's line-up of top business advisers

Theresa May has moved to distance herself further from her predecessor's style of government by ditching the bosses of easyJet, Whitbread (Frankfurt: WHF4.F - news) and Legal & General (LSE: LGEN.L - news) (L&G) as advisers.

Sky News can reveal that members of David Cameron's Business Advisory Group (BAG) were informed on Thursday that their services would not be required by Mrs May.

The advisory panel met on a quarterly basis under Mr Cameron, with other Cabinet ministers including the Chancellor and Business Secretary also usually in attendance.

Mrs May's decision not to retain a group of senior business advisers on an ongoing basis may also be interpreted as an attempt to avoid suggestions that she is too close to corporate Britain at a time when she is preparing to unveil reforms aimed at countering excessive pay and bad business behaviour.

Among those who advised Mr Cameron were Carolyn McCall, easyJet's chief executive; Alison Brittain, CEO of Whitbread; Nigel Wilson, who runs L&G; Warren East, Rolls Royce (LSE: RR.L - news) 's chief executive; and Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money.

In a statement issued in response to an enquiry from Sky News, a Downing Street spokesman said:

"The PM will be engaging closely with the business community as she delivers on the Government's priorities: ensuring that we make a success of Brexit, showing the world that we remain outward looking and open for business, and also building a Britain that works for all its citizens.

"As you would expect, the PM will seek to draw on a range of advice and counsel from business going forward.

"She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) thanks the members of the former Business Advisory Group for their service and expertise."

A source close to the PM pointed out that she had already met small business bosses, and would continue to engage with corporate leaders on a regular basis.