Chancellor Gordon Brown was urged today to radically rethink his approach to the Northern Ireland economy.
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said after a meeting with business leaders there was a feeling that Mr Brown's £50 billion package over 10 years for a future Stormont government was not radical enough to breathe new life into the North's economy.
The former Economy Minister observed: "There is widespread disappointment in the business community with the Chancellor's package. "The verdict of Northern Ireland's wealth creators on the Chancellor's failure to offer a new direction for the Northern Ireland economy must be heeded.
"My party colleagues and I outlined to business leaders and organisations the Ulster Unionist Party's view that the Chancellor's package unfortunately fails to signal the required strategic shift to promote a vibrant, competitive knowledge-based regional economy.
"Provision for increased infrastructure investment, incentives for research and development investment and increased productivity, and the growth of high-quality, skilled jobs necessitate a step-change in Government policy. The Chancellor's package simply fails to deliver this."
Unionists and nationalists have been arguing for some time there needs to be a peace dividend from London and Dublin for a new Stormont Executive to spend on roads, the rail network, telecommunications, education and health if it is to have any success in attracting inward investors to Northern Ireland.
Following a meeting last Wednesday with Democratic Unionist, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist, SDLP and cross community Alliance Party leaders, Mr Brown outlined his vision of a package but also warned them it would be withdrawn if they failed to revive power sharing by March 26th next year.