Is big business the baddie?

Richard Lambert, the new head of the head of the CBI, Britain's leading business group, chose the theme of trust for his first major speech today.

Business gets a raw deal from the public, the media and politicians, with even David Cameron, the Tory party leader, distancing himself from big business, he said.

Mr Lambert acknowledged that business has made a rod for its own back with scandals such as Enron. His larger point was that the lack of trust in business made it harder for the business community to make the argument for the free movement of people, capital and services - globalisation in effect - at a time when protectionist forces in the US and Europe are gathering strength.