HEADS turned in Skipton and Embsay as Conservative leader William Hague went walkabout on Friday.

Customers at Embsay Village Stores couldn't quite believe their eyes when they walked in to find the Leader of the Opposition behind the counter.

Mr Hague was the guest of David and Andrea Ross who have launched a petition against plans to introduce a flat rate for all shops in the country to help pay for the Government's new Food Standards Agency.

During his afternoon visit, he collected the petition and also handed out autographs to schoolchildren coming into the shop for their daily ration of penny sweets.

It was a special day for Mr Hague as his visit to Craven coincided with his 38th birthday.

Back at the headquarters of the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Association, staff surprised him with a celebratory cake.

"Thirty and still feeling 28," he quipped as he tucked into a slice.

Skipton butchers Drake and Macefield was the next port of call where Mr Hague met the successful staff who have clinched major awards for their produce over the last few months.

He was tempted by more food, this time in the form of a pork pie.

"Pies, black puddings -- these guys are the business," he said as he got behind the counter to admire the firm's recently-won silver trophy and to pose for pictures.

As Mr Hague continued down the street on his way to Craven Court, he was stopped by locals.

"I heard you when you were 16 and I thought you were wonderful," said one elderly lady harking back to Mr Hague's famous speech at the Tory Party conference.

Embsay's Vi Watkinson, whose family run a haulage business, tackled Mr Hague on the issue of massive increases in both fuel and vehicle tax.

"We are road hauliers which this area is renowned for and this has been killing us," said Mrs Watkinson. "We don't have any profit any more."

At Craven Court, Mr Hague visited several stores and chatted to shoppers, had his picture taken with well-wishers and signed autographs, including one for nine-year-old Alex Campbell, of Gargrave.

"He's nice," was the Carleton School pupil's overall opinion of him.

Then it was back to day-to-day politics when Conservative candidates for the forthcoming Craven District Council and Skipton Town Council elections gathered to meet their party leader before he was whisked off to another engagement on his busy schedule.

* In a face-to-face interview with the Herald, Mr Hague pledged to combat measures which could put small firms, such as local shops and farms, out of business. And he also promised to fight for cash to improve public transport in the area.

Regarding plans to charge businesses who handle fresh food to pay for a new Food Standards Agency, he said: "The people who thought it up are not remotely aware of what life is like running a small business in the Yorkshire Dales.

"Small shops are being asked to pay the same as large supermarkets and I think it's ridiculous. We need more village shops in this area not less of them and we need to help the ones we've got to survive."

The Leader of the Opposition also assured Craven farmers that he and his fellow Tory MPs would continue to support agriculture, particularly as farming subsidies could soon be cut.

"I really just want to see farmers have a fair deal," he added.

Mr Hague said he wanted to apply the same strict guidelines to imports from other countries which farmers in Craven have to adhere to.

"That is one of the ways farmers are not being treated fairly because they are being undermined by products from abroad," he said.

Public transport in rural areas such as Craven was also a concern to Mr Hague who said disabled and elderly people in the Dales were being penalised by the transport strategies brought in by the Government.

He said car tax and petrol prices were being increased but no money was being spent on public transport, especially in areas like Craven. This forced people to have to rely on their cars to get about.

"What's happening is that the cost of running cars is going up in the form of another stealth tax, yet it is not being replaced by any alternatives," he said.

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