'These things happen’: Business Secretary addresses Labour division amid Haigh's P&O Ferries 'cowboy operator' row
13 October 2024, 12:36
Jonathan Reynolds has told LBC "sometimes these things happen" amid Labour MPs division over the Transport Secretary's comments labelling P&O Ferries a "cowboy operator".
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Labour's Business and Trade Secretary doubled down on comments made by the Prime Minister on Saturday distancing the party from Labour MP Louise Haigh's disparaging remarks taking aim at the operator.
Speaking with Lewis Goodall on Sunday, the MP for comments made by Labour's are "not the government’s position".
It follows a rapid scramble by Labour to distance themselves from the comments after P&O’s owner threatened to pull a £1bn investment in a new Thames freeport.
The investment was timed to coincide with the PM's investment summit, with the Transport Secretary’s remarks throwing the deal into jeopardy.
On Wednesday, Angela Rayner and Louise Haigh introduced new legislation to prevent similar incidents happening again, leading the transport secretary to describe P&O Ferries as “cowboy operators”.
Jonathan Reynolds speaks to Lewis Goodall | Watch the full interview
Rayner added that the move had been “an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer”.
However, despite this, Starmer insisted the comments were "not the view of the government".
The PM's stance put him at odds with an growing number of his MPs, as Labour's Liam Byrne stood up to back Haigh, labelling P&O Ferries' past treatment of workers "the kind of behaviour that we can't have in this country".
Mr Byrne, chairman of the House of Commons' Business and Trade Committee, said Lou Haigh was "absolutely right" to call out the behaviour of P&O, labelling its actions "completely unacceptable."
However, in the hours following Starmer's statement, P&O Ferries owner confirmed the £1bn investment "will go ahead".
"What happened in the past was wrong," Mr Reynolds conceded of P&O Ferries decision to sack 800 British seafarers in favour of cheaper European agency staff.
He added: "that’s why we won’t let it happen again".
He reiterated that both major parties were "right to call out that behaviour" in 2022 when news of the sackings surfaced.
However, he towed the government line, backing Starmer's comments that Haig's remarks were "not the government’s position".
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of P&O’s owner DP World, is now also set to attend Starmer's summit, which is due to take place in Central London on Monday.
