Business community will prove ‘critical’ to Labour’s chances
LABOUR’S apparent failure to win the backing of the business community in TheBusinessDesk.com’s extensive survey could prove a “critical” barometer to the outcome of tomorrow’s General Election, it has been claimed.
James Haddleton, executive partner of the Leeds office of law firm DWF, which sponsored the survey, said: “The results of this survey certainly make interesting reading and it’s fascinating to see the way in which the business community in Yorkshire is thinking.
“Despite a few variations in the voting intentions of the regions, it would appear that Labour has not retained the confidence of business in the region, which could prove critical in the overall election outcome.”
In the comprehensive survey conducted at the end of last week, almost 40% of those polled in Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the North West said they would like to see the Lib Dem’s treasury spokesman Vince Cable at the helm of the economy – leaving George Osborne and Alistair Darling trailing.
But when it came to actual voting intentions, more than 47% of the 1,000 readers .jpg?access=236T843T840){kind=spacer}
polled in the survey, sponsored by law firm DWF, said they would support the Tories.
The Lib Dem’s came in second with 24.6% of the vote, with Labour being the party of choice for just 20.6% of business voters.
The survey was the first political poll of readers conducted by TheBusinessDesk.com since its launch in Yorkshire in 2007.
As a sample of the views of business leaders in the UK’s industrial heartlands, the results give little comfort to Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling that they have the support of the business community.
Mr Haddleton added: “The results reveal that the business community is keen to see some political change with nearly half of the readers polled declaring support for the Conservatives.
“It comes as little surprise to find the economy as the most important issue with 82% of Yorkshire business voters, indicating that this will be the key priority for the next government.”
