Members of the Ipswich business community will today get their chance to put questions to the three main political parties’ General Election hopefuls in the town.

IPSWICH: Members of the business community will today get their chance to put their questions to the three main political parties’ General Election hopefuls in the town.

A Question Time-style debate is being held at lunchtime as a curtain-raiser to the Suffolk Business Exhibition, being held at Trinity Park.

Ipswich Labour MP Chris Mole will be going head-to-head against rivals Ben Gummer, Conservative, and Mark Dyson, Liberal Democrat, in front of an audience made up of members from the Ipswich & Suffolk Small Business Association and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, which are jointly organising the exhibition.

Also on the panel will be Julie West, chief executive of regional food and drink promotional group Tastes of Anglia, and Duncan Brodie, business editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, sister title to the Evening Star.

The Question Time event is being sponsored by the EADT, Suffolk Business Magazine and chartered accountants PKF.

The main exhibition, which is open to all and free to attend, runs from 2pm to 7pm and will feature displays by more than 120 businesses from across Suffolk and beyond.

Sponsors of the exhibition include Archant Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, BBC Radio Suffolk, Picasso HR, Scrutton Bland, Jackaman Smith & Mulley, Business Link, Dummett Copp, React Computer Partnership, BT Local Business and Trinity Park Conference Centre.