Jul 5, 2018

Dozens of U.K. business leaders invited to dine with Trump next week

British Prime Minister Theresa May shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the Palace Hotel in New York City. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Roughly 150 business leaders have been invited to dine with President Donald Trump during his first visit to the United Kingdom as president next week, the Financial Times reports.

One big thing: Those invited see the dinner as an opportunity to convince Trump of a post-Brexit trade deal. British businesses are already seeing a downturn in investment from the European Union due to Brexit, per a previous report from Axios. And now that Britain cannot depend on the EU for investment, production, and jobs, Britain will need a trade deal with the U.S. now more than ever.

The details: The dinner next Thursday will be hosted by British Prime Minister Theresa May at an undisclosed location.

The guest list includes Jes Staley of Barclays, Bob Dudley of BP, Ben van Beurden of Shell, Helena Morrissey of Legal & General Investment Management, and Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo, the distiller behind Johnnie Walker scotch, per FT.

Be smart: Some of the guests have been weighing the pros and cons of dining with Trump given the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and its allies. At the same time, the executives fear that a decision to not show up could motivate Trump to berate on Twitter.

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