Come on, Eddie, give us a break

Mr George will be making a keynote speech at St George's Hall in the city on Tuesday after a day in West Yorkshire.

Manufacturers in West Yorkshire have been lobbying the Government for years to take action to reduce the strength of the pound abroad and cut interest rates to allow them to compete with foreign competitors.

He has been invited to the city by the Bradford centre of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and Bradford Chamber of Commerce and is expected to address more than 1,000 business people and bankers in the hall. Bradford has one of the oldest Chartered Institute of Bankers centres in the UK - starting in 1913. It is the biggest event of its type ever to be hosted by the Chartered Institute of Bankers nationally.

David Gregson, the Institute's vice-president said: "After the speech Mr George will answer questions from people in the hall. People will be interested in the strength of sterling. Bradford has got a lot of manufacturers and exporting is difficult with the strength of the pound."

Mr George will be welcomed by Gavin Shreeve, the Institute's chief executive, and Judith Donovan, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce who will also make an address.

Also at the event will be Jill Foley, the Bradford centre's president and Carole Johnson, president of the organisation's Leeds centre.

Mr George will start his trip to West Yorkshire in Leeds where he will open the new offices of solicitors Pinsent Curtis and visit the Bank of England's regional offices which are also in the city.

A dinner will follow the speech at St George's Hall at the Hilton Hotel in Bradford - the new name for the Stakis.

Last time's West Yorkshire Lecture was given by Mike Blackburn, the former chief executive of the Halifax, at Dean Clough in Halifax.

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