More leading retailers came out in support of the Conservatives’ stance on a National Insurance as the general election campaign got under way.

The store chiefs were: LK Bennett executive chairman Robert Bensoussan; Beales chief executive Tony Brown; The Range founder Chris Dawson; Furniture Village chief executive Peter Harrison; House of Fraser chief executive John King; Peacocks chief executive Richard Kirk (pictured); Asos chief executive Nick Robertson; Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner; and Charles Tyrwhitt founder nick Wheeler.

Luke Johnson, founder of private equity firm Risk Capital which owns East, was also on the list which comprised 30 new business names. The business leaders think a planned increase in National Insurance proposed by Labour amount to a tax on jobs and want the Government to cut waste rather than impose the rise.

The Tories released the names just before today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, the last before polling day next month.

The names were made public after Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed during a TV interview that business leaders had been “deceived” by the Tories’ pledge not to put up National Insurance next year.

Conservative leader David Cameron said at Prime Minister’s Questions: “Does the Prime minister know more about job creation than business leaders?

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