The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Theresa May, has privately warned that companies would leave the country in the event that the referendum on leaving the European Union is voted on.
The Guardian has obtained footage of a secret meeting between May and investment bankers a month before the Brexit referendum.
May revealed at the meeting with Goldman Sachs that she worries about many things when it comes to Britain's exit from the EU, which is completely contradictory to her public speeches.
The meeting was held on May 26, and May said that she thought it was time for Great Britain to lead Europe and that she hoped that voters in the referendum would look to the future instead of the past.
In the hour-long session, she also spoke about the worrying effect of Brexit on the British economy.
"I think the economic arguments are clear. I think it's important to be part of a 500 million trade bloc. I think, as I said before, that one of the problems is that people have invested here because Britain is part of the EU," said May.
He adds that many companies would think about developing the continental part of Europe if Britain were to leave the EU.
In public speeches, May spoke about the maximum freedom that British companies need to trade and operate in a single market, but that this is not a priority in relation to immigration control, which is one of the main policies of the proponents of leaving the EU.
At the secret meeting, May also spoke about the fact that it is best for the security of Britain to remain in the EU, mainly because of the joint police system and the exchange of information between services.
"There are things that can make us safer if we are a member of the EU," May is heard saying.
May has been criticized before for being quiet during the referendum campaign and for only lukewarmly supporting the party to remain in the EU. At the time, her colleagues reacted strongly because of her position, because they believed that she was preparing for the possibility of leaving the EU, thus creating a better political position for herself.
It remains to be seen what effect the leaked recordings will have on Britain's position in the negotiations with the EU, in which May should participate at least indirectly.
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