to give to Britain's industrial giants £500b a week

But it is understood that the UK government has been looking closely at the matter in recent months after a leaked government memo leaked to the press last year suggested tax evasion at the heart of Britain's economy.

The revelations are just the latest salve in a year of warnings against an increasingly 'business-friendly' EU stance that was also expressed at a meeting in Madrid last month over the impact of Brexit on British businesses.

At the meeting, the heads of four government departments – including Environment, Health and Planning, Housing and Food, Transport and the Economy – met and pledged their 'commitments' to a "comprehensive approach" on Brexit, which a number of ministers said was 'well beyond the scope of the EU'.

These include the EU's 'big business law' which would protect UK businesses against a £1.1billion loss to Britain's largest corporate. Other EU business in France, Luxembourg, England, Germany, Russia and the Netherlands are also in close contact with the ministers.

A 'bigger picture'