BOOTS chief Stefano Pessina, who slammed Ed Miliband’s policy agenda yesterday, should be “keeping his head down” given his history of tax-dodging, GMB leader Paul Kenny fumed last night.

A war of words broke out yesterday after acting chief executive Mr Pessina branded Labour’s policies “not helpful for business, not helpful for the country and in the end, it probably won’t be helpful for them.”

“If they acted as they speak, it would be a catastrophe,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

“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.”

But Mr Kenny told the BBC: “This is the same boss who used private equity to take Boots private and move the domicile offshore to stop paying corporation tax since 2007.

“Given the amount of taxpayers’ money Boots gets from the NHS you would think this guy would keep his head down.

“There used to be the slogan ‘no taxation without representation.’

“Surely the opposite is equally true.”

The spat erupted as Labour promised to focus on “issues, not personalities” in the election campaign.

In a message to party members, election chief Douglas Alexander wrote: “It already seems clear that in their campaign the Tories intend to spread falsehood, fear and smear.

“They will seek to avoid open debate and scrutiny. The Tories will dig deep into their donors’ pockets — and plumb new depths — in their desperation to cling on in government.”