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Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, has confirmed that a £1 billion investment in an Essex port by DP World, a P&O Ferries owner, will proceed despite the ongoing row over comments made about the ferry company. Transport secretary Louise Haigh had described P&O Ferries as a “rogue operator,” an interview in which the company was urged to reconsider its decision to sack 800 employees in 2022 and replace them with cheaper agency workers. Mrs Haigh also encouraged consumers to boycott the ferry firm, which DP World dismissed as inappropriate. Labour maintained that the sackings were “wrong,” but they had announced plans to tighten legal measures to protect seafarers.
DP World is now set to attend the International Investment Summit, where the UK Government anticipates billions of pounds of investment. The business expansion of its London Gateway port has been the subject of discussion with the UK government for some time and is expected to create hundreds of jobs in Thurrock, Essex.
Mrs Haigh’s comments have attracted criticism from the Conservatives, with shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake arguing that Labour “don’t understand business.” However, her comments have been defended by Labour MP Liam Byrne, who chairs the Commons business committee, by stating that Mrs Haigh had been “absolutely right to say the behaviour of P&O in the past has been completely unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer assured the BBC’s Newscast that Mrs Haigh’s views do not represent the Government’s official position. Nonetheless, a government source stated on Saturday that the prime minister had confidence in Mrs Haigh and that she would be attending the investment summit on Monday
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