Next chief executive Lord Wolfson told a Langdon business lunch that "desperately needed investment in housing, roads, energy and aviation is hidebound by a combination of punitive regulation and a hostile, glacial planning system".

Addressing an audience drawn from the finance, law and property sectors, the peer maintained: "We have to face the fact that government, in its broadest sense, increasingly constrains investment and growth."

Langdon chair Jonathan Joseph said afterwards that "a stronger economy means more jobs, which are important for everyone's sense of purpose, well-being and standard of living. Langdon works hard with a wide range of employers to find jobs for our members, who are more than able to work hard and make a full contribution."

The charity - helping those with learning difficulties to live independently - held the lunch at the central London offices of law firm, Howard Kennedy.