The boss of the company that owns P&O Ferries will attend an investment summit in the UK despite scathing criticism from the Transport Secretary, which included calls for a boycott of the shipping company.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chief executive of Dubai-based DP World, will join the government's investment summit on Monday, according to Sky News.
The ruling comes after reports by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh put a billion pound investment at risk in the UK with DP World.
Monday's event aims to showcase the UK's attractiveness to investors and will be attended by the Prime Minister and Kanclerz Rachel Reeves.
DP World's investment in the port is under review following criticism from Ms Haigh and Deputy First Minister Angela Rayner of its subsidiary P&O Ferries.
In March 2022, P&O Ferries caused huge controversy, including: dismissal of 800 British sailors and replacing them with cheaper, mostly foreign workers, which she said was necessary to prevent the company from collapsing.
Announcing new regulations on Wednesday to protect seafarers, Ms Haigh branded P&O Ferries a “rogue operator” and said consumers should boycott the company.
In a press release issued to Ms Rayner, Ms Haigh said P&O Ferries' actions constituted a “national scandal” and Ms Rayner described them as an “outrageous example of employer manipulation”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Ms Haigh's call for a boycott of the ferry operator was “not the Government's view”.
Speaking to BBC Newscast about the situation, he said: “Well, I think we'll sort it out.
“But… I think if you look at the last three or four weeks you will see over £40 billion of investment.”
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In a press release issued to Ms Rayner, Ms Haigh said P&O's actions constituted a “national scandal” and Ms Rayner described them as an “outrageous example of employer manipulation”.
Labor MP Liam Byrne defended Ms Haigh, saying she was “absolutely right” in expressing her view that P&O Ferries' behavior was “completely unacceptable”.
Byrne, who is also chairman of the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee, said the way the ferry company treated its workers was “behavior that we cannot have in this country”.
File photo: PA
But he added that the government's Employment Rights Bill would provide a “very clear framework” for how companies can treat workers, something that is “biting” companies such as P&O Ferries.
Asked about any changes to the £1 billion investment, a senior government source told Sky News: “It is up to companies to announce their investments but the warm engagement continues. We look forward to a successful summit that shows that, with this Labor government, the UK is open for business.”
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “Investors will attend our summit on Monday as they have renewed confidence in the UK thanks to the stability and gravitas this Labor government brings.”
P&O Ferries, owned by a company other than P&O Cruises, operates routes across the English Channel, the North Sea and from Great Britain to the island of Ireland.
