LONDON (Sputnik) — Major companies operating in the United Kingdom criticized the Labour Party on Monday for publishing outdated quotes made by company CEOs without their consent in a political advert about the risks of leaving the European Union.
The Labour party posted a full-page election campaign advert in The Financial Times, featuring quotes from Britain's biggest business leaders, underlining the disadvantages of leaving the bloc. However, some of the quotes used were very old and outdated, causing a wave of disapproval.
The advertisement also included last year's quote from the head of Kellogg's UK Jonathan Myers, saying "The biggest short term risk to Manchester's competitiveness in the EU is a simple one. It is the risk the UK could leave it."
A source close to Kellogg's told The Telegraph that Labour did not give the company the option of removing its name from the advert.
By publishing the advert, the Labour Party was trying to slam the Conservative Party's plans to hold an in/out referendum on the UK's possible exit from the European Union in 2017. British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested reforming Britain's relations with the European Union before the referendum, and argued that changes in the EU treaty are needed.
The "short" general election campaign began in the United Kingdom on March 30, 25 days before the general election. The two major rivals in the upcoming election are the Conservative Party, headed by David Cameron, and the Labour party led by Ed Miliband.
