Labour will have to move to the left – or lose the election | Seumas Milne

Ed Miliband must stand up to his corporate tormentors if he’s to win back support from the SNP and Greens

The way the corporate barons are carrying on, you’d think Ed Miliband was planning to do something terrifying to them. Day after day they’ve issued blood-curdling warnings about the catastrophe that would be unleashed by “Red Ed’s anti-business policies”.

The onslaught was kicked off by the Monaco-based chairman of Boots, Stefano Pessina, a man who even “disappointed” Boris Johnson by moving his headquarters to Switzerland to dodge tax. When the Labour leader hit back, saying people would take no lectures on voting from “someone who’s avoiding his taxes”, the floodgates opened.

Related: Scotland poll shows a nation on the verge of abandoning Labour

Related: Labour not seeking confrontation with business, says Chuka Umunna

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