CBI Director General Digby Jones yesterday pleaded with the government to roll back the regulations it has imposed on business.

Speaking while sharing a platform with trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt at the CBI Conference, Jones accused the government of bringing in 3,800 regulations last year: "That's ten every day, five every morning".

He singled out the climate change levy for particular criticism and claimed it was costing British jobs.

Hewitt replied that the levy had been scaled down to help industry and most of the 3,800 regulations had no impact on business and announced that employees are likely to be prevented from making claims at employment tribunals unless they have first completed the company's internal grievance procedure's.