Boris Johnson will meet senior City figures early next week as he seeks to mend fences after his four-letter attack on business.

Mr Johnson’s private breakfast with 25 business leaders on Tuesday marks the latest stage in a rapprochement with the strong favourite for No 10. The former foreign secretary was challenged at his official launch last week about his infamous “f*** business” comment. He made the remark to a group of EU diplomats who had raised business concerns over Brexit last year, after warnings from Airbus that it could close UK operations.

One City figure attending the breakfast said that worries over the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn administration trumped those of leaving the EU: “Many business leaders have concluded, like many Tory MPs,