Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she understood business concerns that Britain could fall off a "cliff-edge" after formal divorce negotiations with the European Union and would address those fears in Brexit talks.

Speaking at the CBI, a leading business organisation in Britain, May also said there was a number of way to improve workers' representation in companies - a softening of an earlier pledge to make sure they were appointed to boards.

Asked about business calls for a transitional deal, she said: "We want to get the arrangement that is going to work best for the UK and the arrangement that is going to work best for business in the UK."

"I am conscious that there will be issues that need to be looked at ... that people don't want a cliff edge, they want to know with some certainty how things are going to go forward, that will be part of the work that we do in terms of the negotiation."