London — British business confidence has fallen sharply since last Thursday’s inconclusive election that left Prime Minister Theresa May weakened ahead of Brexit talks, according to a survey by the Institute of Directors published on Monday. The survey of nearly 700 members of the business group also exposed deep concern about the political uncertainty and its impact on Britain’s economy. May failed to win a parliamentary majority in the election. Her hopes of forming a government now lie with winning support from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which won 10 seats in the election. The Institute of Directors found a negative swing of 34 points in confidence in the UK economy from its last survey in May. While 20% of members were optimistic about the economy over the next 12 months, 57% were either quite or very pessimistic — a -37 "net confidence" score. That compares with a -3% score in May. "It is hard to overstate what a dramatic impact the current political uncertai...
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