FORMER Conservative leader William Hague became the latest Westminster politician to visit Swindon today as the election campaign continues and promised that another Tory-led government could eliminate youth unemployment.

He visited the Pebley Beach car dealership to speak with former apprentices as well as supporting the Conservative candidates ahead of next month’s vote.

While in town he spoke of the improving economy and said the Tories were aiming to eliminate youth unemployment in Swindon through the use of apprenticeships.

The former Foreign Secretary, who is standing down in May, said: “We have invested £10 million in a new UTC here in Swindon, 7,000 young people have started an apprenticeship here in Swindon in the last five years and that’s only the beginning of what we are doing.

“We aim to have three million apprenticeships across the country in the next government if we win the election and that will mean the end of youth unemployment in this country. That only happens if you have a growing successful economy and that only happens under Conservative leadership.

“This is a great local business employing many apprentices and clearly serving its customers very well.

"This is part of the success of the British economy and that is an economy that is doing dramatically better in the last few years because it is run well.”

In South Swindon the battle is very tight between the Conservatives and Labour’s Anne Snelgrove but Mr Hague said the economic record of the past five years would be a strong factor in helping people make their decision.

“I would say to voters in Swindon your vote counts for a lot,” he said.

“You have great Conservative candidates in Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson who work very very hard for Swindon. Swindon is a town on the up under a Conservative-led government. If people want all those things to continue then vote Conservative in Swindon.”

Robert Buckland said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome senior politicians like William to Swindon and I think the message today is a strong one. Here we are today at a successful local business, well established in the local community that does so much to local people into jobs, through work experience and then apprenticeships.

“The number of young people and former apprentices we have spoken to today show it is such an important way to gain important and transferable skills.”

Labour have long said that young people who don’t go to university have been ignored by this government. They have said pupils leaving school will be guaranteed one-on-one career advice when they leave school.

Anne Snelgrove, the party's candidate in South Swindon, said: “Having a guaranteed career’s advisor will mean that Swindon’s young people are armed with all of the information to make the big decisions about their future.

“Whether it be an apprenticeship, college, university or work, the thing young people need to choose their path in life are the facts about what their options are. Having one-to-one career advice whilst in schools is massively improving the start in life that we give to our young people.”