Yorkshire business gives its vote to Cameron

The economy is the central issue of the General Election campaign and as the debate rages between the politicians over who has the best plan to save it, 43 per cent of the region's firms said they support the Tory leader.

And Labour's controversial proposals to increase National Insurance – which prompted more than 80 of Britain's leading chief executives to

back the Tories – were also criticised with Yorkshire firms declaring a reduction on contributions was a crucial factor for stimulating recruitment and recovery.

The Business Vote, a survey released today by legal practice DLA Piper, also revealed that more than half believe the 50 per cent tax rate should be abolished immediately.

The results will provide a timely boost for Mr Cameron, who has suffered a barrage of negative headlines after his

performance during the leadership debate on Thursday evening.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg was announced as the clear winner by the polls, with some yesterday even putting the party in first place for the first time in more than a century.

The national business survey of more than 500 firms, conducted by YouGovStone, revealed a number of differences between Yorkshire companies and the rest of the country with 64 per cent believing that tackling climate change should be a strategic priority for any new government – the highest rating of all the UK regions by more than 10 per cent.

Neil McLean, Managing Partner at DLA Piper in Leeds, said: "What these findings indicate is that the experiences of the last 18 months have had a profound effect on regional attitudes and as a result, companies want to see meaningful and practical reforms put us on a sustainable path to recovery."

According to the survey, which was conducted in the two weeks before the election call, the Yorkshire support for Mr Cameron was seven per cent higher than the national average.

He was followed in the popularity rankings by Vince Cable of the Liberal Democrats with 21 per cent of the vote, and Mr Brown received just six per cent of the vote in Yorkshire, amongst the lowest ratings of all the UK regions.

The survey also addressed business feelings towards tax and regulation following the recession and showed 67 per cent of regional respondents believe the current tax system in the UK discourages business activity.

Although 52 per cent believed the 50 per cent tax bracket should be abolished immediately, 38 per cent of companies felt it should be retained in the short term and 10 per cent felt it should be retained indefinitely.

When questioned about banking regulation, 72 per cent of respondents believed a major overhaul of the banking system was necessary, compared to a national average of 64 per cent.

This included support for replacing the Financial Services Authority with a new Consumer Protection Agency.

However, Yorkshire businesses were in step with the rest of the country in their belief that the Government should not regulate bonuses within the financial services sector.

The results also revealed that 66 per cent of regional companies opposed new measures contained in the new Equality Act that allow employers to give priority to candidates for employment or promotion from under-represented groups.

Equally, 74 per cent said they would not support measures by the next Parliament to allow companies to introduce quotas for female managers if they wished.

One of the strongest areas of opinion for Yorkshire companies was in the area of climate change with 73 per cent saying they would also like to see greater incentives for environmental research.

Mr McLean said: "Companies in the region recognise that a hike in national insurance contributions will have a much greater impact on their plans to rebuild their business than the abolition of the 50

per cent tax bracket, and that however well intentioned, moves to allow positive action in recruitment throw up a huge range of administrative and legal issues."

ONLY A DECISIVE cONSERVATIVE VICTORY WILL DO, SAYS LEADER

David Cameron has warned voters that anything but a "decisive" Tory victory on May 6 would leave Labour in charge as he sought to fight off a surge in public support for the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservative leader declined to follow Gordon Brown in admitting he had lost to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg in the presentation stakes during the first leaders' debate on TV.

He said he was confident he had got his message across on key issues and would continue to run a positive campaign despite pressure to attack the third party.

Addressing an audience of mainly older voters, including his own parents, in a pub garden in Swindon yesterday, he said: "People will judge the debates, people will decide what matters in these debates.

"What I think matters the most is getting your case across about the change you want to bring."

The latest polls confirmed early findings that Nick Clegg's strong performance in the first leaders' debate had given the Lib Dems a massive boost, one even giving the party an overall lead.

All produced figures that would result in a hung parliament if repeated across the country and suggested the Tories were suffering far more than Labour – dipping by as many as seven points and in danger of remaining the second biggest party in the Commons.