Labour went to war with Boots yesterday after the chemist chain warned of catastrophe if the party won the general election. Stefano Pessina, the firm’s acting boss, said Ed Miliband’s policies were ‘not helpful for business and not helpful for the country’. Labour business spokesman Chuka Umunna hit back with a series of extraordinary attacks on Mr Pessina and his firm, which has 70,000 UK workers. He questioned whether Boots paid enough tax while fellow Labour MPs said they would not listen to a multi-millionaire who lived in ‘a big mansion’. Scroll down for video . Boots chief Stefano Pessina (left) has warned it would be a 'catastrophe' if Labour and Ed Miliband (right) win power. Pessina claimed Miliband’s policies were ‘not helpful for business and not helpful for the country’ Boots, which has 70,000 UK workers, came under fire from senior Labour figures after the attack on its business policies . The extreme response will fuel claims that the party is anti-business and raise further doubts over Mr Miliband’s election strategy. The reaction also showed ‘staggering immaturity’ on the part of the Labour leadership, according to a former party adviser. As chaos in the Labour ranks escalated: . Labour’s uneasy relationship with business exploded into the open thanks to the intervention of Mr Pessina, who heads Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, owner of the biggest chain of UK chemists. It is highly unusual for captains of industry to be so outspoken this close to an election. But Mr Miliband has announced a series of policies taking aim at what he calls capitalist ‘predators’ across a range of industries from energy suppliers to private landlords. Mr Pessina said: ‘If they acted as they speak, it would be a catastrophe. 'The problem is, would they act that way or not? One thing is to threaten and to shout, but it is completely different to be in charge and to manage the country day to day.’ Labour has previously had close links with Boots – former health secretary Patricia Hewitt worked for it as an adviser. Labour business spokesman Chuka Umunna hit back at with a series of extraordinary attacks on Mr Pessina and his firm . But last night Labour MPs tweeted criticisms of Mr Pessina, a 73-year-old Italian who is estimated to have a £7.5billion fortune. Ilford South MP Mike Gapes wrote: ‘Does Boots boss own a big mansion in UK? Does he pay income tax in UK? Does he vote in UK?’ Mr Umunna said: ‘It is important that the voice of business is heard during this general election campaign, not least on Europe. 'But the British people and British businesses will draw their own conclusions when those who don’t live here, don’t pay tax in this country and lead firms that reportedly avoid making a fair contribution in what they pay purport to know what is in Britain’s best interests.’ But former Labour adviser Dan Hodges said attacking Boots was a ‘mad, pitch-to-the-Greens and the left’ strategy, adding: ‘The immaturity that surrounds Labour’s political decision-making is simply staggering.’ Former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn (left) and John Hutton have attacked Mr Miliband's leadership . John Mills, Labour’s biggest individual donor, said reports he had criticised Mr Miliband were ‘pure mischief-making’ but went on to raise doubts about key policies. ‘It is true that I have gone on record to say that I think that widening the council tax bands is better than having a mansion tax,’ he said. ‘I also have said there are problems about planning something like a mansion tax for the NHS rather than using money raised locally for local purposes – particularly building more housing.’ A spokesman for Walgreens Boots Alliance insisted Mr Pessina’s comments had been taken out of context, adding: ‘He is not campaigning against Ed Miliband or Labour.’ The company has been accused of trying to cut its UK tax bill by moving its HQ to Switzerland. Founded 165 years ago, Boots merged with European pharmacy business Alliance UniChem in 2006 and with US giant Walgreens last year. In its final year on the London Stock Exchange, Alliance Boots declared a tax bill of £89million. This had dropped to around £9million by 2010. The firm’s spokesman said it was now paying more tax than it had as a listed company. Opera lover: Boots boss Stefano Pessina . Known as the ‘silver fox’ to both friends and foes, Boots boss Stefano Pessina is a secretive Italian billionaire who lives in Monaco. According to the respected Forbes magazine rich list, he is worth £7.56billion. Last year he engineered a merger between Alliance Boots, which owns Boots UK, and Walgreens, which made him £4.45billion richer. Born into a Milanese family in 1941, Pessina lives close to other high rollers including Sir Philip Green in Monte Carlo. Unlike some of his more colourful neighbours, Pessina is not known for his love of lavish parties and keeps a low profile. He prefers opera, art and boat design – his main extravagance is a yacht moored off Sardinia – and keeps fit with sailing, tennis and swimming. Following a degree and research jobs in nuclear engineering at university in Milan and a stint in marketing, Pessina won his first role in the business world when his father asked him in 1974 to restructure the ailing family company, a pharmaceutical wholesaler. Now, at the age of 73, he has 1,500 deals under his belt and claims he maintains the elixir of youth by ‘building businesses’ – rather than using any anti-ageing serums found on the shelves of Boots. The father-of-two shares his home with his partner, Ornella Barra, 60, who is also a senior executive at the company. They have been called the planet’s most formidable corporate power-couple. Far from contemplating retirement, Pessina has his sights set on new markets. ‘We are very active in China, we are looking at Latin America. 'And sometimes we have been able to do deals in Turkey, in Egypt, in Russia, in Thailand. Sometime in the future I will have to stop and someone else will have to continue. That’s life.’
Ed Miliband under growing pressure after a series of attacks on leadership .
Boots boss Stefano Pessina said Labour plans 'not helpful for business'
Billionaire said: 'If they acted as they speak, it would be a catastrophe'
Shadow minister Chuka Umunna attacked the Boots chief's remarks .
Miliband allies were said to be plotting a way to keep him in place, even if Labour lose the election; .
The editor of the left-wing New Statesman said the leader had a ‘haunted’ look and even shadow chancellor Ed Balls had ‘all but given up’ on him; .
The party’s biggest private donor attacked Mr Miliband’s NHS and mansion tax policies; .
Lord Mandelson was accused of plotting to destabilise Mr Miliband; .
The party’s election campaign chief Douglas Alexander repeatedly refused to rule out a deal with Scottish nationalists in the event of a hung parliament.
Labour went to war with Boots yesterday after the chemist chain warned of catastrophe if the party won the general election. Stefano Pessina, the firm’s acting boss, said Ed Miliband’s policies were ‘not helpful for business and not helpful for the country’. Labour business spokesman Chuka Umunna hit back with a series of extraordinary attacks on Mr Pessina and his firm, which has 70,000 UK workers. He questioned whether Boots paid enough tax while fellow Labour MPs said they would not listen to a multi-millionaire who lived in ‘a big mansion’. Scroll down for video . Boots chief Stefano Pessina (left) has warned it would be a 'catastrophe' if Labour and Ed Miliband (right) win power. Pessina claimed Miliband’s policies were ‘not helpful for business and not helpful for the country’ Boots, which has 70,000 UK workers, came under fire from senior Labour figures after the attack on its business policies . The extreme response will fuel claims that the party is anti-business and raise further doubts over Mr Miliband’s election strategy. The reaction also showed ‘staggering immaturity’ on the part of the Labour leadership, according to a former party adviser. As chaos in the Labour ranks escalated: . Labour’s uneasy relationship with business exploded into the open thanks to the intervention of Mr Pessina, who heads Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, owner of the biggest chain of UK chemists. It is highly unusual for captains of industry to be so outspoken this close to an election. But Mr Miliband has announced a series of policies taking aim at what he calls capitalist ‘predators’ across a range of industries from energy suppliers to private landlords. Mr Pessina said: ‘If they acted as they speak, it would be a catastrophe. 'The problem is, would they act that way or not? One thing is to threaten and to shout, but it is completely different to be in charge and to manage the country day to day.’ Labour has previously had close links with Boots – former health secretary Patricia Hewitt worked for it as an adviser. Labour business spokesman Chuka Umunna hit back at with a series of extraordinary attacks on Mr Pessina and his firm . But last night Labour MPs tweeted criticisms of Mr Pessina, a 73-year-old Italian who is estimated to have a £7.5billion fortune. Ilford South MP Mike Gapes wrote: ‘Does Boots boss own a big mansion in UK? Does he pay income tax in UK? Does he vote in UK?’ Mr Umunna said: ‘It is important that the voice of business is heard during this general election campaign, not least on Europe. 'But the British people and British businesses will draw their own conclusions when those who don’t live here, don’t pay tax in this country and lead firms that reportedly avoid making a fair contribution in what they pay purport to know what is in Britain’s best interests.’ But former Labour adviser Dan Hodges said attacking Boots was a ‘mad, pitch-to-the-Greens and the left’ strategy, adding: ‘The immaturity that surrounds Labour’s political decision-making is simply staggering.’ Former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn (left) and John Hutton have attacked Mr Miliband's leadership . John Mills, Labour’s biggest individual donor, said reports he had criticised Mr Miliband were ‘pure mischief-making’ but went on to raise doubts about key policies. ‘It is true that I have gone on record to say that I think that widening the council tax bands is better than having a mansion tax,’ he said. ‘I also have said there are problems about planning something like a mansion tax for the NHS rather than using money raised locally for local purposes – particularly building more housing.’ A spokesman for Walgreens Boots Alliance insisted Mr Pessina’s comments had been taken out of context, adding: ‘He is not campaigning against Ed Miliband or Labour.’ The company has been accused of trying to cut its UK tax bill by moving its HQ to Switzerland. Founded 165 years ago, Boots merged with European pharmacy business Alliance UniChem in 2006 and with US giant Walgreens last year. In its final year on the London Stock Exchange, Alliance Boots declared a tax bill of £89million. This had dropped to around £9million by 2010. The firm’s spokesman said it was now paying more tax than it had as a listed company. Opera lover: Boots boss Stefano Pessina . Known as the ‘silver fox’ to both friends and foes, Boots boss Stefano Pessina is a secretive Italian billionaire who lives in Monaco. According to the respected Forbes magazine rich list, he is worth £7.56billion. Last year he engineered a merger between Alliance Boots, which owns Boots UK, and Walgreens, which made him £4.45billion richer. Born into a Milanese family in 1941, Pessina lives close to other high rollers including Sir Philip Green in Monte Carlo. Unlike some of his more colourful neighbours, Pessina is not known for his love of lavish parties and keeps a low profile. He prefers opera, art and boat design – his main extravagance is a yacht moored off Sardinia – and keeps fit with sailing, tennis and swimming. Following a degree and research jobs in nuclear engineering at university in Milan and a stint in marketing, Pessina won his first role in the business world when his father asked him in 1974 to restructure the ailing family company, a pharmaceutical wholesaler. Now, at the age of 73, he has 1,500 deals under his belt and claims he maintains the elixir of youth by ‘building businesses’ – rather than using any anti-ageing serums found on the shelves of Boots. The father-of-two shares his home with his partner, Ornella Barra, 60, who is also a senior executive at the company. They have been called the planet’s most formidable corporate power-couple. Far from contemplating retirement, Pessina has his sights set on new markets. ‘We are very active in China, we are looking at Latin America. 'And sometimes we have been able to do deals in Turkey, in Egypt, in Russia, in Thailand. Sometime in the future I will have to stop and someone else will have to continue. That’s life.’
be a 'catastrophe' if Labour and Ed Miliband policies were ‘not helpful for business and not over Mr Miliband’s election strategy. The the part of the Labour leadership, according to said: ‘If they acted as they speak, it would be a shout, but it is completely different to be in Chuka Umunna hit back at with a series of extraordinary attacks on Mr Pessina and his firm biggest individual donor, said reports he had both friends and foes, Boots boss Stefano Pessina