Labour brand under Miliband leadership has become toxic in City
ED Miliband is the most anti-business of all mainstream politicians, according to the City A.M. / PoliticsHome Voice of the City Panel.
Eight out of 10 respondents said the Labour leader was anti-business, while fewer than one in 10 said he was pro-business, giving him a net score of -70 per cent – the lowest in the survey. The Labour party also performed abysmally, with a net score of -69 per cent.
The findings suggest the Labour brand has become toxic in the City under Miliband’s leadership. Gordon Brown’s government scored a much higher -8 per cent, even though it introduced a number of measures that were unpopular in the City such as the 50p rate and a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
George Osborne topped the poll with a net score of 62 per cent, with just 12 per cent of respondents describing him as anti-business. Eighty-three per cent of panellists said they agreed with his recent claim that “there are those who are trying to create an anti-business culture in Britain – and we have to stop them”.
David Cameron and the Conservatives were also seen as pro-business, with a net score of 50 per cent and 58 per cent respectively. However, the coalition government scored just 10 per cent, largely because the Liberal Democrats were perceived as very anti-business.
The Liberal Democrat party scored
-60 per cent, while party leader Nick Clegg scored -28 per cent. Business secretary Vince Cable – who is expected to be a cheerleader for the private sector – scored -51 per cent. Just 18 per cent said he was pro-business.
Meanwhile, the panel said the media was also anti-business. The BBC scored a net -53 per cent while the tabloid press scored a net -55 per cent.