Tories take lead with manufacturing policies

When manufacturers were asked which political party has the best policies to support UK manufacturing, the Conservatives gained 40 per cent of responses, compared to five per cent for Labour and three per cent who said the Liberal Democrats. However, 28 per cent felt that no political parties had the right answers.  

The Engineered in Britain: Manufacturing a Successful Economy? 2014 report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and BDO is an annual study to gauge the opinion of 1,000 manufacturers and 1,000 members of the public on the current status of UK manufacturing.

When asked whether the government’s policies are helping UK manufacturers, 41 per cent of manufacturers and 34 per cent of the public said yes, up from 26 per cent and 19 per cent last year.

When asked about specific policy areas, 58 per cent of manufacturers said the government was performing well on the economy, up from 31 per cent in 2013, while 26 per cent of manufacturers said government was performing well on manufacturing policy, which compares to 17 per cent last year.