David Davis will be confronted by business leaders on Friday demanding an indefinite delay in Britain’s departure from the Single Market and the Customs Union.

The Brexit Secretary has invited some of Britain’s most senior executives to his grace-and-favour residence at Chevening in Kent for an informal summit.

In a major escalation of the business community’s attempt to soften Brexit, the CBI group last night called on the Government to reach an open-ended “transitional deal” with the European Union to protect businesses.

Mr Davis and other senior Tory Eurosceptic MPs have said that they expect Britain to leave the Single Market after Brexit negotiations end in March 2019.