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Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland and former Tory donor, has publicly backed Keir Starmer to be the next Prime Minister.
Walker told The Guardian that the Labour leader understands how the cost of living crisis has put an “unbearable strain” on families.
He wrote in the newspaper that Starmer had moved closer to the centre while Rishi Sunak’s party had gone in a different direction and caused a “total collapse in public confidence” in the government.
Furthermore, he said that the Labour leader had demonstrated a “compassion and concern for the less fortunate” as well as an understanding of the cost of living crisis that had hurt his customers.
He quit the Tory party last October having previously attempted to become a candidate for the party.
He stated that he had reserved judgement on who to back at the next election but now believed that Labour and Starmer had a “credible programme” to improve the UK economy and people’s lives.
This news comes after Labour put a lot of resources and effort into convincing business leaders that the party will not enact “anti-business policies” should it take power at the next election.
The party plans to hold a major business conference in central London, hosting leaders from companies including Google, Shell, AstraZeneca, Airbus and Goldman Sachs.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak must call an election no later than January 2025, with many experts believing he will go for an Autumn election this year.
