U.K. Labour Party Aims to Lure Business Leaders into Parliament

The U.K.’s opposition Labour Party will invite businesspeople to explore running for Parliament as part of an effort to deal with its anti-corporate image.

Leader Ed Miliband, who last year called for “producer” and “predator” companies to be taxed differently, will today announce a special stream of his party’s “Future Candidates Program” for those from the private sector. Other streams focus on women, people from ethnic minorities and the working classes.

Those in the program, who don’t need to be party members, will be mentored by current Labour lawmakers.

“Our party -- all parties in fact -- must reflect what Britain looks like and the jobs which people do,” the party’s business spokesman, Chuka Umunna, said in an e-mailed statement. “Not only do we want more people setting up businesses, leading businesses and working in businesses, we want more people from the world of business in our ranks.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net