British and German business groups have issued a plea to politicians to put economic interests first as they enter the third round of Brexit talks.

Germany’s DIHK Chambers of Commerce said yesterday that while the weak euro would initially boost Europe’s largest economy by enabling exporters to offer their goods abroad for less, firms were increasingly concerned about the exchange rate.

The German federation of chambers of commerce, the DIHK, has said it believes the domestic economy could grow by 2% next year but under three conditions, said DIHK head Martin Wansleben at the presentation of the federation's autumn report.

GERMAN business confidence fell to the lowest since the 1993 recession as the ascent of the euro crushed exporters’ expectations, a survey of more than 21,000 companies by the DIHK industry and trade association showed.