Andrew Marr: What were P&O Ferries thinking sacking 800 staff like this in the modern era?
17 March 2022, 18:08 | Updated: 17 March 2022, 18:12
Andrew Marr reacts to P&O Ferries sackings
Andrew Marr has questioned what P&O Ferries were thinking when they announced the sacking of 800 staff.
Speaking in a monologue on Thursday's Tonight with Andrew Marr, he also questioned if Vladimir Putin's "bizarre, even fascistic" rant begs the question as to whether the Russian president can deal with anyone.
It came ahead of his questioning of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle on the Global Player exclusive show.
Watch Tonight with Andrew Marr exclusively on Global Player every Monday to Thursday from 6pm to 7pm.
Mr Marr said: "Sometimes there is a single question that hangs over a whole week - that matters more than the passing stories, all the daily ups and downs.
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"This week it's been simply: can this bloody war be brought to an end by talking?
"Yesterday, I told you about newspaper reports of a 15-point peace plan being worked out between Ukraine and Russia.
"But today, following a quite bizarre, even fascistic, rant by the Russian president Vladimir Putin we have to ask whether this man is prepared, or able, to do any kind of deal with anyone?
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Read more: Putin issues chilling warning to West in bizarre rant over 'scum' traitors
"Plenty of dark political psychology coming up later on. But we can't, in the meantime, forget what's going on here at home, where psychologists, political or otherwise, may also be urgently needed.
"I've been speaking to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the genial and highly respected Speaker of the House of Commons, about allegations of bullying and misbehaviour there - you’ll hear from him in a minute.
"But there's also that extraordinary story of the shipping company P&O Ferries sacking 800 seafarers by video call - so they can be replaced, says their union, by foreign contract workers.
"Some sailors tonight are still refusing to leave their ships. Tonight, P&O might not have noticed it's 2022. What were they thinking?"
