General Election 2015: AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot distances himself from Conservative supporting Telegraph business leader letter
The boss of one of the biggest companies in Britain has said he is not backing the Conservatives, despite his name being included in a letter signed by 100 business leaders backing the party's economic policies.
Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said his name should not have been included in the letter, which was published in the Daily Telegraph this week.
He explained:
“I support policies that reinforce a competitive tax environment and encourage investment in the UK. Neither I nor AstraZeneca endorse any political party and while I support such policies my name should not be used in the context of the letter.”
A friend of Soriot told CityAM Soriot had "never realised it was party political".
"He didn't see the text… [wh en he did] he changed his mind."
Soriot is the second major business leader to distance himself from the letter, which was published on Wednesday with the signatures of 103 top business leaders. A further 17 bosses later added their name to the letter, including Soriot.
Jim Mullen who took over as chief executive of Ladbrokes just yesterday slammed leaders for signing the letter, including his predecessor Richard Glynn.