Cameron Meets FTSE's Euro Bosses For EU Talks

David Cameron held private talks on Wednesday with European executives from some of Britain's biggest companies as he seeks to persuade the private sector that his negotiations on EU reform will not hinder the UK's competitiveness.

Sky News has learnt that the chief executives of Lloyds Banking Group (Other OTC: LLOBF - news) , Marks & Spencer (Other OTC: MAKSF - news) , Santander, Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) and Unilever (NYSE: UL - news) met the Prime Minister for his first engagement with business leaders since setting out his demands for EU reform earlier this week.

The Swedish chairman of BP, Carl-Henric Svanberg, and the boss of Siemens (BSE: SIEMENS4.BO - news) ' UK operations, Juergen Maier, are also understood to have been present.

The list of attendees is notable because all are citizens of other EU countries who run major British companies.

An insider said that Mr Cameron wanted to understand the views of major employers as the debate about Britain's EU membership evolves, and that aides felt that European bosses would bring an alternative perspective to what the PM said this week was the most important decision facing voters in their lifetimes.

He was also keen to gauge the appetite of the executives for speaking publicly on the issue once the outcome of his reform negotiations became clearer, the insider added.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister wrote to the European Council president, Donald Tusk, to set out four key demands on issues such as benefits for migrants and the region's economic competitiveness.

However, Mr Cameron was almost immediately accused of giving way on his proposal for a four-year ban on EU migrants claiming British benefits.

Those who attended Wednesday morning's meeting were: Ana Botin of Santander, who is Spanish; Antonio Horta-Osorio of Lloyds Banking Group, who is Portugese; Marc Bolland of M&S, Ben van Beurden of Shell and Paul Polman, the Unilever chief executive, who are all Dutch citizens.

A No. 10 spokesman and the companies represented at the meeting declined to comment.

Downing Street has faced criticism from business leaders after aides to the PM urged them to "shut up" about Europe, on the basis that their intervention could be counter-productive.

Sir Mike Rake, who recently handed over the presidency of the‎ CBI, the employers' group, said before he stepped down that business should "turn up the volume" on the Brexit debate.

That exhortation drew a sharp rebuke from Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, who said it would undermine Britain's ability to extract meaningful reforms in Brussels if it appeared that the UK wanted to remain in at all costs.

Last month, Sky News revealed that Mr Cameron had altered his position, telling members of his Business Advisory Group that they should feel free to speak publicly about the benefits of EU membership for their companies.

Wednesday's talks came 48 hours after Mr Cameron addressed the annual conference of the CBI , which has found itself under attack from pro-Brexit campaigners, who have accused it of misrepresenting the views of its members.

Sky News has seen copies of letters sent by VoteLeave to British Airways, BAE Systems (LSE: BA.L - news) and HSBC in which the FTSE-100 companies are asked to explain whether previously supportive remarks about the EU made by board members should be interpreted as representative of corporate or personal opinions.

VoteLeave has written to the 21 companies which have a place on the CBI's president's committee - one of its key decision-making bodies - in an attempt to intensify the pressure over its opposition to Brexit.

At Monday's annual CBI conference, two protesters affiliated to VoteLeave accused the business group of being the "voice of Brussels" during a speech by Mr Cameron.