Transport secretary and Sheffield MP Louise Haigh recently became embroiled in investment row with cruise giant P&O, costing Labour a vital £1bn investment.
Louise Haigh is the transport secretary and MP for Sheffield Heeley. (Image: Getty)
Transport secretary and Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh risks costing the government a critical £1bn investment with comments made ahead of a crunch economic summit on Monday.
The Dubai-based owners of P&O Ferries, DP World, have put the staggering sum of money on hold after she slammed them for being “rogue” and “cowboy operators”.
It will now not attend Monday’s International Investment Summit – the government’s first event for investors – as the funds are under review.
Haigh told ITV: “I’ve been boycotting P&O Ferries for two and a half years and I’d encourage consumers to do the same.
“They’re a rogue operator. We’re cracking down on the way they treated employees, and we want to see them mirror the standards of other operators that come in and out of Great Britain’s waters.
Sir Keir issued a response to Haigh’s comments. (Image: Getty)
“Make no mistake, this is good for workers and good for business. Cowboy operators like P&O Ferries will no longer be able to act with impunity, undercutting good employers in the process.”
This prompted Sir Keir Starmer to issue a stark response, marking the first time he’s publicly rebuked one of his minister’s comments since becoming Prime Minister.
He said on an episode of Newscast: “I think we’ll resolve that”, referring to the investment being shelved, and maintained that Haigh’s view is “not the view of the government”.
Since being appointed transport secretary in July, Haigh says she’s been “a vocal advocate for the rights of workers”, which includes speaking out against P&O’s decision to sack 800 British staff members and replace them with cheaper, agency staff.
Her website reads: “[I’m] firmly holding the Government to account for their handling of the rail workers’ industrial dispute and leading the fight to protect the rights of P&O workers following their illegal firing.”
Haigh previously worked for the Unite trade union, where she was involved in supporting workers through discrimination, harassment, redundancy and unfair dismissal.
Before Labour came into power, she was appointed as the shadow policing minister in 2017 due to her experience as a former Special Constable. Three years later, she was then given the role of shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
Her recent comments, however, have sparked controversy and a blame game within the government as the cruise giant tables their £1bn investment.