Cameron chats at cash and carry

David Cameron said it was businesses which would bring about economic recovery, not government

Conservative leader David Cameron has paid his first election campaign visit to Wales, and promised to "trim the fat" from central government.

Mr Cameron was speaking to business leaders at a cash and carry warehouse.

Elsewhere, Labour highlighted its "lifeline" business loan guarantee scheme, and Plaid Cymru focused on its support to help companies expand.

Welsh Liberal Democrats said all their candidates were signing a "code of conduct" to restore trust to politics.

David Cameron hits the campaign trail

Mr Cameron spoke against Labour's proposal to increase National Insurance contributions, saying: "The worst thing we can do is put a tax on jobs."

He told the audience in Cardiff Labour had identified £11bn of waste within government but were not proposing to do anything about it until 2011.

"We need to cut out government waste now ... to stop the tax," he said.

He also spoke of the need to remove unnecessary bureaucracy from the centre of government while protecting public sector jobs such as those in the NHS, teaching, the police and the military.

"We need to trim the fat at the centre of the state," he said.

Mr Cameron said there had to be a recognition of the link between universities and technology parks and manufacturing, adding high-end manufacturing was a way forward for Britain.

He also promised to increase the number of apprentices by 100,000.

'Putting businesses at risk'

Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan visited a recruitment, advertising and online jobs board company in her constituency.

Labour said JobsinWales.com, run by Jemin Popat, had recently been helped by its loan guarantee scheme, which Mr Hain said had offered a lifeline to such businesses.

It just goes to show how David Cameron's Conservative Party are putting the recovery and small businesses at risk with their planned emergency budget Welsh Secretary Peter Hain

Mr Hain said: "When he accessed the funding - right at the start of credit crunch - it helped the business with the sort of typical cashflow problems we saw many SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) face at the time.

"It enabled his business to keep afloat at difficult time and to keep his employees in good quality, paid employment.

"It just goes to show how David Cameron's Conservative Party are putting the recovery and small businesses at risk with their planned emergency budget that will undo much of Labour's support for business and families."

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones was touring constituencies in west Wales, including Llanelli, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and Ceredigion.

The recession and Labour's mismanagement of the economy has had a devastating impact ... and now the Tories are threatening to make the matter worse by cutting the Welsh budget too deeply too soon Ieuan Wyn Jones, Plaid Cymru leader

Mr Jones visited a Ceredigion business, Gwasg Gomer, which Plaid said highlighted its plans to help Welsh businesses "develop new ideas, to expand and to create sustainable jobs".

Mr Jones said: "The recession and Labour's mismanagement of the economy has had a devastating impact on many families and communities across Wales and now the Tories are threatening to make the matter worse by cutting the Welsh budget too deeply too soon.

"Both parties are complicit in the current economic and financial crisis and are bereft of ideas in terms of how to turn the situation around."

He argued that Plaid - in its coalition with Labour in the assembly government - had been "leading an economic renewal programme" in which "thousands of jobs have been protected as a result of the coalition's support".

The code of conduct that all our parliamentary candidates are signing will hopefully restore their confidence in the political system Kirsty Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader

Welsh Liberal Democrats said all their candidates were signing a "code of conduct" on to restore "confidence and trust in politics".

The party said its code declared "that no MP should profit from the taxpayer with regard to their allowances and that there should be complete transparency in how allowances are spent".

Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams said trust in politics had "suffered a massive blow over the last few years and things must change".

"Labour has had 13 years to change and clean up broken politics, and it's failed to do so and the Tories cannot be trusted to bring about the changes that are required," Ms Williams said.

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats want to restore this trust and the code of conduct that all our parliamentary candidates are signing will hopefully restore their confidence in the political system."