Theresa May was welcomed in December by Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands

The Dutch government is in talks with more than 250 British-based companies to lure them to the Netherlands after Brexit.

In a sign of growing business anxiety at the gridlock in Westminster, Sony has become the latest company to announce that it is to shift its European base to the Netherlands.

The Dutch investment agency has revealed that it is in talks with a further 250 companies as a result of the “great uncertainty” in Britain. This is despite claims by Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, that he “doesn’t see Brexit as a business opportunity”.

Officials in his country have indicated that foreign banks moving operations there could avoid a cap on bonuses, which limits them to 20 per cent of fixed pay. It