Tim Cook confident UK will thrive despite EU exit

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he is confident that the UK will be able to stand on its own two feet following its exit from the European Union, saying his company is a "big believer" in Britain.

Speaking with ITV's Good Morning Britain programme, Cook said that Apple's decision to move its London headquarters to the area around Battersea Power Station, as well as increasing the size of the operations there, was a sign that the tech giant was confident in the UK economy despite Brexit.

"We are very optimistic about the UK's future, and we are all in," said Cook. "We're doubling down on a huge headquarters in the Battersea area... and we're leaving significant space there to expand. We're a big believer in the UK."

Cook was relaying comments he made to British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday in a meeting at Downing Street, saying that there may be "bumps in the road along the way".

Apple released a statement following the meeting, which said that it hopes to continue to create jobs in Britain in the coming years.

"We are proud that Apple's innovation and growth now supports nearly 300,000 jobs across the UK," it said.

The Cupertino-based company had its own run-in with the European institutions in 2016 after it accused the European Commission of overstepping the mark following its ruling that it owed the Irish government €13bn in unpaid taxes.

Speculation has been growing that many major multinational firms are considering their options for London operations when Britain leaves the bloc, and Apple's confidence will come as an important boost for May's government.