The Government 'should have moved' to stop under-fire P&O Ferries from sacking 800 of its staff in advance, a Greater Manchester MP said. Labour shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said: "We cannot allow this to stand because this becomes the template for how these things are done in the UK from now on."
His comments come as the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, confirmed P&O could face 'criminal prosecution and unlimited fines' over its handling of the redundancies, with the Insolvency Service examining the matter.
Mr Shapps said: "For our part we're reviewing all Government contracts with P&O Ferries as a matter of urgency and with DP World and, where possible, we're looking to use other providers if indeed there are any contracts where the UK Government is involved. I believe at this point that they have been historic in nature rather than current."
