BUSINESS leaders have demanded that devolved nations secure a seat at the table during Brexit negotiations, in a plea that echoes calls from the Scottish Government.

Directors of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish offices of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have jointly called on the UK government to reappraise its approach to leaving the EU.

They want to see more involvement for their regions' governments, saying the devolved nations should be "partners, not strangers" in the Brexit talks.

The call comes as both the Scottish and Welsh governments united to urge UK Brexit Secretary David Davis urging him to "re-set" the work of the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations and give them a bigger say in deliberations.

Nicola Sturgeon also made the point in a letter to Theresa May this week, saying it was “essential” the devolved administrations were part of the Brexit negotiating process.

In an open letter, the CBI directors said: "By feeding into the negotiations, each nation can play its part securing a good outcome for the whole of the UK.

"Business is committed to making a success of Brexit and the opportunities it presents. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland a good deal is one that that puts people, trade and jobs first.

"And, as powers are repatriated from the EU to the UK and devolved nations, a joined-up discussion with business should take place so powers are returned to the right level and firms can continue to benefit from an effective UK single market."

The statement added: "By understanding the concerns and priorities of businesses in the devolved nations, UK negotiators will be more informed and have a better chance of securing a good deal.

Following an election campaign where the economy received little attention, it’s right that it returns to the top of the agenda."

Scotland's Brexit Minister Michael Russell last night asked the other parties at Holyrood to meet him, either bilaterally or multilaterally, to work towards “the least bad Brexit for Scotland”.

However he also said he wanted to plot out on “the best transition that will protect a re-entry [to the EU] by Scotland should Scotland choose that route at a future date”, a reference to independence that may prove unacceptable to the three Unionist parties.

In a speech at Glasgow University, he said: “Those discussions would be good for Scotland and good for the many sectors in Scotland that are increasingly waking up to the threat of Brexit and the real damage that could be done by the process - particularly by a hard Brexit.”

He said the general election had been “a rejection of the Tory plans for a hard Brexit”.

Mr Russell also tried to co-opt Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson’s idea of an “open Brexit”, saying it was the same as the soft Brexit proposed by the SNP government in December.

Mr Russell also wrote a joint letter with Welsh Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford on the importance of the devolved administrations being represented in the negotiations.

They urged Mr Davis to resume meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee "at the earliest possibility" as well as agree a future programme of regular sessions timed to fit in with the negotiating meetings agreed with the European Commission.

The letter also called for a clear agenda to let devolved administrations consider relevant issues arising from the negotiations, for example the replacement of EU funding schemes such as the Common Agricultural Policy, future immigration policy and analysis of the economic impact of scenarios including no deal and of reverting to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, leaving the single market and withdrawing from the customs union.

It said: "It is essential that the UK Government trust the devolved administrations to respect the confidential inter-governmental space that the JMC should fill.

"We want to use JMC (EN) as a forum in which we can have meaningful discussions of key issues, aimed at reaching agreement rather than an opportunity to rehearse well-established public positions. Unfortunately, this was not our experience of the way the committee operated prior to the election."

The letter also said ministers are "deeply concerned" about a "lack of engagement" on the proposed Great Repeal Bill to transpose EU legislation into UK law.