Chancellor Rachel Reeves ‘would have no problem’ boarding P&O ferry, after previously criticizing company’s ‘disgraceful behaviour’ | Political news

Rachel Reeves has said she would have “no problem” getting on a P&O ferry after the fire and recruitment scandal.

The chancellor was asked to clarify her position after criticism from her colleagues almost derailed a planned investment announcement from the travel operator’s owner ahead of a crucial summit.

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P&O Ferries caused huge controversy in 2022 when it was suddenly made redundant 800 seafarers and replaced them with cheaper foreign agency workers.

It emerged on Friday that its Dubai-based owner DP World was considering taking out £1bn of funding at its London Gateway container port after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh branded P&O, its subsidiary, as “rogue operator” and called for a boycott.

In an interview with Sky News, Ms Reeves distanced herself from Ms Haigh’s comments, saying: “I would have no problem getting on a P&O ferry.”

He said the £1 billion investment, who was finally saved after a weekend of frantic negotiations, it was “really important” as it “will bring good jobs, pay living wages… and expand our capabilities to import and export around the world.”

In a March 2022 tweet, Ms Reeves criticized P&O’s redundancies, calling it “disgraceful behaviour” and saying it should be illegal.

Asked if she doesn’t care where the investment comes from, the Chancellor said her government has introduced laws to protect seafarers from future mass looting.

“Under the Tories, it was possible to fire and rehire workers. It was possible to have exploitative zero-hour contracts. We’re ending that,” he said in reference to the labor rights law.

Pressed on whether the workers’ workers’ rights agenda can meet the need for private investment, Ms. Reeves said governments can be “both pro-worker and pro-business”.

“I don’t think you can be professional people unless you create the environment to get companies to invest in Britain,” he said.

“And by the same token, you can’t be a professional business unless you’re skilled workers to make sure they have the skills to do the jobs that are available in the economy. So the two go hand in hand.”

Ms Reeves is the latest senior figure to distance herself from the transport secretary’s comments. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he did not share Ms Haigh’s views, while Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the company had “turned a corner” and DP World had signed up to the government’s new workers’ rights laws last week.

If the funding had stopped, it would have been a major blow to the government’s International Investment Summit on Monday, at which Sir Keir rolled out the red carpet for chief executives hoping to secure billions of accords

DP World confirmed at the weekend that it would continue to attend the event after “constructive and positive discussions with the government” give it “the clarity we need”.

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The company has ports and logistics operations in more than 60 countries and generated global revenue of almost £14bn last year.

Confirming the investment plan on Monday, he said it would expand London Gateway to become the UK’s largest container port within five years, creating 400 new permanent jobs.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP World, said: “DP World London Gateway will help keep British trade flowing into the future by connecting domestic exporters to global markets and providing vital supply chain resilience of supply for the entire economy.

“I am proud of this significant investment which underlines DP World’s long-term commitment to the UK.”