Business is focusing its lobbying efforts on the Tories rather than Labour for this autumn’s crucial pre-election round of political party conferences, figures released to the Financial Times suggest.

The Conservatives sold out their flagship conference “corporate day” in early August, three weeks earlier than last year, with 80 companies paying £1,000 a head to hob-nob with George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, and other leading Tories at the Manchester event.