TESCO supremo Sir Terry Leahy has called on David Cameron to hand more powers to regions like Liverpool to help boost the economy.

In a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister, Sir Terry said the Government’s proposed Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) needed real authority and accountability if they were to drive up economic growth.

The Liverpool-born Chief Executive, who is due to step down from Tesco in March, sits on the shadow board of the Liverpool city region LEP.

Mr Cameron, with Lord Heseltine by his side, visited the site of Peel Holdings’s £4.5bn Wirral Waters project yesterday to discuss LEPs with business leaders.

LEPs are intended to replace the scrapped regional development agencies and bring together captains of industry and politicians to set strategies to boost economic activity.

Mr Cameron was in the region to push the £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund, which is being overseen by Lord Heseltine, who is chairman of the advisory panel that will recommend which bids should be given cash.

After visiting Wirral, Mr Cameron delivered a speech on economic growth in Manchester and campaigned in the nearby Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.