Labour reveals P&O Ferries has received over £38m in taxpayers’ money as Keir Starmer calls for legal advice to be published
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Labour analysis of Tussell data has revealed that P&O Ferries
received £38.3m in government contracts since December 2018. It
comes as Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, has called for
the Prime Minister to publish the legal advice the Department for
Transport received on whether P&O’s actions constitute a breach
of the law, and whether there are legal means of reversing the
decision. Labour has called for the government to suspend its
contracts with...Request free trial
Labour analysis of Tussell data has revealed that P&O Ferries received £38.3m in government contracts since December 2018. It comes as Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, has called for the Prime Minister to publish the legal advice the Department for Transport received on whether P&O’s actions constitute a breach of the law, and whether there are legal means of reversing the decision. Labour has called for the government to suspend its contracts with P&O Ferries and its owners DP World over the sacking of its workers, until the situation is resolved. The party has said that public procurement and taxpayers' money, should be used to promote good working practices and decent conditions. Labour has pledged that in government it will strengthen these requirements in procurement law. The party has also called for:
Keir Starmer met with a group of sacked P&O Ferries workers on Friday morning, alongside RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch, union officials, and Labour MPs, Karl Turner, Diana Johnson, and John McDonnell. Keir Starmer said: “P&O’s actions are aggressive and immoral. The government’s apparent inaction is as telling about their respect for the security of work, as it is damning. “At the heart of this is a community of workers, some of whom are young and starting out on what they expected to be a long maritime career. Many have families, mortgages, and responsibilities. Their lives have been upended overnight by an unscrupulous employer, and the government has sat on their hands. “This Conservative government bears responsibility. Boris Johnson’s party has created an environment where big companies think they have licence to ride roughshod through good employment practice, basic respect for workers, and the rights of all to be treated fairly. “If one company can divest itself of responsibility for its workforce, and the government don’t blink, others have room to do the same. We are demanding the Prime Minister grants access to the legal advice the DfT received on whether P&O Ferry’s actions constitute a breach of the law, and whether there are legal levers to get the decision reversed. Full transparency is vital to prevent anyone else from being subjected to this appalling behaviour. Any government contracts they have should be suspended until this is resolved. “Labour stands firmly with these workers and their union RMT. It is on all of us to challenge this, for workers everywhere who deserve nothing less than security and respect in return for an honest day’s work.”
ENDS Notes to editors:
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