French politicians and business leaders hosted an event in central London on Friday in an attempt to “seduce” British businesses into relocating to northern France.

Hundreds of regional politicians and business leaders from the Hauts-de-France region entertained representatives from more than 250 businesses operating in the UK.

The event, named “Link Lille,” was organised by the Grand Lille Committee, a consortium in the region's capital city which hopes to attract British commerce across the Channel after Brexit.

This newspaper has also obtained a list of the British businesses invited, which included senior figures from the aviation, financial services, travel and retail industries.

They included senior figures from Ernst & Young, KPMG and Morgan Stanley, who were seen attending the event, hosted at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.