UK business less confident in Major

THE British prime minister Mr John Major, will this morning suffer another election campaign blow, with two new polls showing his support ebbing among the country's business community.

The surveys show a majority of British business leaders are unconcerned about the prospect of a Labour government after the election on May 1st.

"The government now faces a double whammy. Their policies are failing to fire the imagination and managers are no longer having nightmares at the prospect of a Labour government," said Mr Roger Young, director general of the Institute of Management, which conducted one of the polls.

The survey found Mr Major's support among managers hit a new low of 40 per cent in March, having fallen from 62 per cent at the general election in 1992.

But Mr Tony Blair's New Labour" has not entirely convinced managers. His party's support among business is at 25 per cent - well below the Conservatives, although still nearly double its 13 per cent level in 1992.