SHADOW Foreign Secretary William Hague joined 650 Yorkshire entrepreneurs as they heard a clarion call for York to be made “the place for business” in the county.

The former Conservative Party leader was at a prestigious dinner last night hosted by Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce at the National Railway Museum.

York and North Yorkshire chamber president Shaun Watts spoke of making York “the place for business in Yorkshire”.

Addressing the sell-out audience, he said: “Traditionally recognised as a tourist destination, we now need to position the city as a leading business destination as well and prove to the rest of the world that York is an excellent investment choice.”

Before handing over to Mr Hague, Mr Watts also said he hoped he would have been able to announce the end of the recession at last night’s event.

But he said: “They say adversity breeds character. Well I don’t know about you, but my character feels fully developed over the last year or so.”