Video: Barry Cryer and Alastair Campbell at the Yorkshire Business Awards

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post ahead of the Variety Club’s Yorkshire Business Awards he said Mr Cameron has “always had a problem differentiating between strategy and tactics”. He added: “And it feels like tactics driving his strategy.”

The awards, supported by the Yorkshire Post and Hitchenor Wakeford, and held last week at The Queens hotel in Leeds, raised £177,000 for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children, surpassing last year’s total of £115,000.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Yorkshire committee of the Variety Club Children’s Charity and it was also the 25th anniversary of the Variety Club’s Yorkshire Business Awards lunch.

Mr Campbell and Asda’s executive director for store proposition, Karen Hubbard, were among the speakers at the event, which was presented by BBC journalist Louise Minchin.

Mr Campbell said that as well as the fundraising element, the awards offer an important opportunity, particularly in these economic times, to recognise the achievements of the business community.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Mr Campbell said on the UK’s European veto: “There is a danger I think that it leaves us isolated politically and economically, which might sound OK at the moment, but it’s going to probably sound less OK when these countries are starting to move in different directions, are starting to make decisions that really impact upon the British economy and actually we’re not going to have much influence over.”

He said the move leaves Mr Cameron in “a weakened position” in the medium and long term.

Mr Campbell said Mr Cameron had allowed relationships with other European leaders such as Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy to “erode a bit”. He said Tony Blair’s key relationships would have been “in better repair”.

On the Leveson Inquiry into Press standards, to which Mr Campbell has given evidence, he said: “There’s got to be change in relation to the regulation of the Press, there’s got to be change, I hope, in relation to the culture of what parts of the modern media have become. And I did emphasis at the inquiry, that it’s unfortunate now that everybody’s slightly lumped into the same boat. There are lots of good journalists, there’s lots of good newspapers, there’s lots of good media.

“But what’s happened I think is that the culture at the top of the industry, culturally and commercially, has got itself to a very, very bad place.”

The Yorkshire Post picked up the Silver Heart accolade in recognition of its “exceptional contribution” in helping the Variety Club to achieve its aim to enrich the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children.

David Wilson, Yorkshire chairman of the Variety Club Children’s Charity, said: “For the last 25 years one organisation has ensured that this event has become one of the most important fixtures in the business calendar and the one at which Yorkshire business has an opportunity to show its Christmas generosity to the children we support.

“By its assistance with the judging, the presentation of awards, the media and communications support and their enthusiastic and unstinting teamwork over a quarter of a century, it has helped to guarantee the success of this event.” Peter Charlton, Editor of the Yorkshire Post, paid tribute to the “tireless work” carried out by veteran corporate lawyer Martin Shaw and his committee, who organise the awards, adding: “Our partnership with the Variety Club is one we value greatly, long may it continue.”

The awards were also supported by Bartlett Insurance Brokers, Pinsent Masons, Ernst & Young, Yorkshire Building Society, Rothschild, Santander, Evans property group and Pace.

THE WINNERS

• Business Leader of the Year, sponsored by the Yorkshire Post: Mike Humphrey, chief executive of Croda

• Board of the Year, sponsored by Hitchenor Wakeford: Persimmon plc

• SME of the Year, sponsored by Santander Corporate Banking: Really Useful Products Ltd

• Silver Heart Award: Yorkshire Post

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Barry Cryer.