Hospitality heavyweights back Tory economic track record
Hospitality heavyweights including Luke Johnson (pictured), Andy Harrison and Duncan Bannatyne have thrown their weight behind Conservative economic policies ahead of next month's election.
They are among the 103 business figures who have signed a letter to The Telegraph which praised the government's policies on big business.
"We believe this Conservative-led Government has been good for business and has pursued policies which have supported investment and job creation," it said.
Hotelier Duncan Bannatyne, Whitbread chief executive Andy Harrison and restaurateur Luke Johnson are joined in their praise of the current government by Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand, hotelier Surinder Arora, hospitality entrepreneur Olly Vigors, former De Vere chief executive Andrew Coppel, British Hospitality Association chairman Alan Parker and Edwardian Group founder Jasminder Singh.
They singled out the policy of lowering corporation tax to 20%, saying it had been "very important in showing the UK is open for business", helping create 1.85 million new jobs.
The letter was published on the day that Ed Miliband said a Labour government would ensure zero-hours workers were offered a formal contract after 12 weeks of regular work.
The letter in full
Dear Sirs,
We run some of the leading businesses in the UK. We believe this Conservative-led Government has been good for business and has pursued policies which have supported investment and job creation.
David Cameron and George Osborne's flagship policy of progressively lowering Corporation Tax to 20% has been very important in showing the UK is open for business. It has been a key part of their economic plan.
The result is that Britain grew faster than any other major economy last year and businesses like ours have created over 1.85m new jobs.
We believe a change in course will threaten jobs and deter investment. This would send a negative message about Britain and put the recovery at risk.