MANUFACTURING bosses want party leaders to use the General Election campaign to outline their economic vision rather than focus on personal attacks.

In the week the main parties unveiled their election manifestos EEF, the manufacturers’ body, has called on David Cameron, Ed Miliband and others to stop squabbling avoid narrow-minded bickering and blame-driven politicsand, instead, demonstrate to the electorate they have vision and ambition for the UK economy and the policies to back it up.

Andy Tuscher, EEF Yorkshire regional director, said: “What the public and business want to see is not the narrow-minded, blame-driven politics we are currently witnessing, but a vision of where we are going as a country and an economy. They want see manifesto pledges that will support the creation of the skilled jobs we need, equip their children with the education and skills they will need for the future and anchor value creating businesses in the UK. In short they want to hear what the big picture is for the truly critical issues.

“If the last five years have been about survival and rebuilding, the next five must be about delivering a better balanced economy and sustained growth. UK manufacturing is in good shape to help deliver this. Some important groundwork has been laid and it is vital the next Government, however it is made up, commits to immediate policies which will build on and encourage growth, boost private sector investment and job creation.” EEF has published a top ten priority list for the first year of the next government, with a scorecard of measures against which efforts to boost growth and create jobs will be judged.

The list is aimed at ‘securing a manufacturing renaissance’ and sets out the core foundations for boosting investment, supporting growing businesses, improving skills, making it easier to do business as well as securing Britain’s membership of the EU. EEF says the longer-term aim should be to restore the public finances, improve productivity and secure real wage growth.

In particular, the next Government should set out an ambition for measurable improvements in productivity, a step change in investment behaviour in the private sector and a marked improvement in the UK’s trade performance.

Its priority list includes company tax reform, especially allowances for investment; upgrading the transport networks by fixing the £12bn road maintenance backlog, as part of a new long-term national infrastructure plan and ring-fencing the science and innovation budgets .

EEF also calls for training vouchers to incentivise employers to upgrade skills and further cuts in regulatory compliance costs.