Business chiefs rate Clarke (and Cowell) higher than PM

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Nearly four out of 10 - 38 per cent - chose the former Chancellor when asked to select from a list of people they would most want to serve on their board of directors.

This contrasted sharply with shadow Chancellor Mr Osborne and Chancellor Alistair Darling - with just two per cent of the 220 executives preferring to have their help in running their company.

Only one in 12, or eight per cent, put Mr Brown top of their list to be a director, and 15 per cent opted for Business Secretary Lord Mandelson.However, TV presenter and X Factor judge Simon Cowell beat them both, backed by 17 per cent of the bosses.

Mr Clarke's popularity may be explained in part by his having served as a director of several companies. The only other person to nudge ahead of Mr Cowell was Tory leader David Cameron, backed by 18 per cent.

The findings, in a ComRes survey for The Independent, highlight the potential huge benefits of Mr Clarke's return to the Tory frontbench as shadow business secretary.