Brown to battle Cameron at CBI

Gordon Brown and David Cameron will do battle for the business vote at next month's annual gathering of the Confederation of British Industry.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Conservative Party's leader will be the two star speakers at the annual conference of the employers' organisation, to be held once again in London.

As well as hearing about the business manifestos of the two main parties, the conference will also debate energy security and the competitive threat posed by China and India. Globalisation and company ownership - a key issue given the number of UK businesses being taken over by foreign investors, will also be discussed.

The conference will be the first to be run the CBI's new director general Richard Lambert, the former editor of the Financial Times and former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.

Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, will speak about climate change during the energy debate alongside Vincent de Rivaz, the UK head of the French power company EDF.

Other key speakers will include Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, Stephen Green, chairman of HSBC, John Varley, chief executive of Barclays, and Stephen Nelson, chief executive of BAA, the airports operator recently taken over by Spain's Ferrovial.