15 Sep 2014According to a poll recently carried out by the manufacturer’s organisation EEF, an 85% majority of voters want Government parties to focus on British industry. 62% of voters also said they believe that such a focus would give the country more economic security. Terry Scuoler, Chief Executive of EEF, said: ‘The message to parties and political leaders is loud and clear: a strong, rebalanced economy has to be the long-term end goal and at the heart of your election offering. ‘There is no room for complacency. While the UK is on the right path, we still have a long way to go’. He added: ‘Net trade is still weak, investment is still below pre-recession levels and, while manufacturing has gained ground, more can be done to create the right conditions for manufacturers and wider industry to thrive and grow’. Official figures are to be released this week by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with the expectation that they will reaffirm that while the UK has seen a rise in employment there have yet to be pay rises to match inflation.