Despite Trump’s claims, data shows migrants aren’t taking jobs from Black or Hispanic people

Oct 12, 2024 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promises the biggest deportation event the U.S. has ever seen if he is elected — a promise he has predicated, in part, on the notion that immigrants in the U.S. legally and illegally are stealing what he calls “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”

WATCH: Trump pushes false narrative of rising migrant crime at Colorado rally

But government data show immigrant labor contributes to economic growth and provides promotional opportunities for native-born workers. And a mass deportation event would cost U.S. taxpayers up to a trillion dollars and could cause the cost of living, including food and housing, to skyrocket, economists say.

Here’s a look at immigration and the U.S. labor market, and what Trump’s plan would mean for the U.S. economy.
What has Trump said?

Trump, who often uses anti-immigrant rhetoric, has referred during his campaign to immigrants he says are taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”

At a recent rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, Trump said, “You have an invasion of people into our country.”

“They’re going to be attacking — and they already are — Black population jobs, the Hispanic population jobs, and they’re attacking union jobs too,” Trump said. “So when you see the border, it’s not just the crime. Your jobs are being taken away too.”

Trump’s rhetoric about jobs has been widely condemned by Democrats and Black leaders who have called it a racist and insulting way of implying that Black and Hispanic Americans take menial jobs.

WATCH: Who’s going to tell Trump that he’s campaigning for a ‘Black’ job, Michelle Obama asks

Janiyah Thomas, the director of Team Trump Black Media, told The Associated Press that Democrats “continue to prioritize the interests of illegal immigrants over our own Black Americans who were born in this country” and that Biden-era job gains in the labor market were primarily due to illegal immigration.

The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey data shows that as of 2023, native-born Black workers are most predominantly employed in management and financial operations, sales and office support roles, while native-born Latino workers are most often employed in management, office support, sales and service occupations.

Foreign-born, noncitizen Black workers are most often represented in transportation and health care support roles, and foreign-born, noncitizen Hispanic workers are most often represented in construction, building and grounds cleaning.
How has immigration contributed to U.S. growth?

In 2023, international migrants — primarily from Latin America — accounted for more than two-thirds of the population growth in the United States, and so far this decade they have made up almost three-quarters of U.S. growth.

After hitting a record high in December 2023, the number of migrants crossing the border has plummeted.

The claim that immigrants are taking employment opportunities from native-born Americans is repeated by Trump’s advisers. They often cite a report produced by Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a right-leaning think tank that seeks a reduced immigration flow into the U.S. The report combines job numbers for immigrants in the U.S. legally and illegally to reinforce the claim that foreigners are disproportionately driving U.S. labor growth and reaping most of the benefits.

Camarota’s report states that 971,000 more U.S.-born Americans were employed in May 2024 compared to May 2019, prior to the pandemic, while the number of employed immigrants has increased by 3.2 million.

It is true that international migrants have become a primary driver of population growth this decade, increasing their share of the overall population as fewer children are being born in the U.S. compared with years past. That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey.
Are immigrants taking native-born workers’ jobs?

Economists who study immigrant labor’s impact on the economy say that people who are in the U.S. illegally are not taking native citizens’ jobs, because the roles that these immigrant workers take on are most often positions that native workers are unwilling to fill, such as agriculture and food processing jobs.

Giovanni Peri, a labor economist at the University of California, Davis, conducted research that explores the impact of the 1980 influx of Cuban immigrants in Miami (the so-called Mariel Boatlift) on Black workers’ employment. The study determined that the wages of Miami’s Black and Hispanic workers moved above those in other cities that did not have a surge of immigrant workers.

Peri told the AP that the presence of new immigrant labor often improves employment outcomes for native-born workers, who often have different language and skill sets compared to new immigrants.

In addition, there are not a fixed number of jobs in the U.S., immigrants tend to contribute to the survival of existing firms (opening up new opportunities for native workers) and there are currently more jobs available than there are workers available to take them. U.S. natives have low interest in working in labor-intensive agriculture and food production roles.

WATCH: Immigrant workers face routine injuries, lack of protections on U.S. dairy farms

“We have many more vacancies than workers in this type of manual labor, in fact we need many more of them to fill these roles,” Peri said.

Stan Marek, who employs roughly 1,000 workers at his Houston construction firm, Marek Brothers Holdings LLC, said he has seen this firsthand.

Asked if immigrants in the U.S. illegally are taking jobs from native-born workers, he said, “Absolutely not, unequivocally.”

“Many of my workers are retiring, and their kids are not going to come into construction and the trades,” Marek said. He added that the U.S. needs an identification system that addresses national security concerns so those who are in the country illegally can work.

“There’s not enough blue-collar labor here,” he said.

Data also shows when there are not enough workers to fill these roles, firms will automate their jobs with machines and technology investments, rather than turn to native workers.

Dartmouth College economist Ethan Lewis said, “There is a vast amount of research on the labor market impact of immigration in the U.S., most of which concludes the impact on less-skilled workers is fairly small and, if anything, jobs for U.S.-born workers might by created rather than ‘taken’ by immigrants.”
How would mass deportations affect the economy?

Trump has said he would focus on rounding up migrants by deploying the National Guard, whose troops can be activated on orders of a governor.

Peri says a deportation program would cost the U.S. up to a trillion dollars and would result in massive losses to the U.S. economy. The cost of food and other basic items would soar.

“They are massive contributors to our economy and we wouldn’t have fruits and vegetables, we wouldn’t have our gardens,” he said, if the deportation effort comes to fruition.

READ MORE: Trump has promised mass raids and deportation if he wins the election. The ACLU is preparing to fight back

Since the labor force made up of people in the U.S. illegally makes up roughly 4 percent of U.S. GDP annually, he estimates that mass deportation would result in a roughly $1 trillion loss.

“It’s a cost that is mind-boggling in terms of income loss, production loss and there will be a logistical cost to organize this,” he said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this month in a podcast interview with David Axelrod that immigrant labor “is an important source of labor force growth.”

“On balance, it helps the economy grow without actually depriving other people of jobs,” she said. “It’s not in any way a zero-sum game.”

Right-Wing Watch

‘Barbieland’ and the rise of the far-right in Europe

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead 

Yesterday

LEFT FOOT FORWARD


To maintain the democratic values that the EU was built on, leaders like Starmer must reject the normalisation of xenophobia and work towards a more inclusive and unified society

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‘Barbieland’ – a matriarchal, asexual utopia where Mattel dolls live in harmony. Greta Gerwig’s fictional world in the 2023 film Barbie might seem far removed from the political and economic alliance of the European Union, but some observers are drawing a comparison between the two. To them, today’s EU resembles Barbieland, a place that perceives itself as more perfect than it is. They argue that the rise of far-right movements across Europe challenges this utopic illusion.

Austria is the latest European country to succumb to the lure of the far-right. Having led in the polls since 2022, the anti-immigration Freedom Party’s (FPÖ) victory in Austria’s national elections was expected. The Eurosceptic party took 29 percent of the vote, just ahead of the Conservatives with 26 percent. In a distant third, the Social Democrats secured only 21 percent, marking their worst result in history. For some thinkers, the result underlines the shallowness of the ‘Barbieland’ illusion, with internal tensions threatening to fracture the EU’s veneer of unity and harmony.

The FPÖ was founded by a group of Nazis after World War II. It has previously held power as a junior partner in short-lived coalition governments with the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) in 2000 and 2017. Its leader, Herbert Kickl, has been branded as “Volkskanzler” or “people’s chancellor,” by his party, a term the Nazis used to describe Hitler. Kickl ran an anti-foreigner campaign, vowing to erect a “Fortress Austria” to keep out migrants. 2024 marked the first time the party has finished first in a national election.

A ‘paranoid tabloid agenda’

The result is part of a broader surge of far-right populism across Europe, where nationalist Eurosceptic parties are gaining ground. Like other European countries experiencing a rise in far-right influence, Austria’s political discourse has become increasingly toxic.

As reported by Social Europe, a “paranoid tabloid agenda” dominates the media, with immigration, security, and crime consistently grabbing headlines. The coverage often portrays immigration and violence as interchangeable, advancing what Social Europe describes as a “paranoid mindset” entrenched in Austrian political culture.

Austria’s shift to the far-right mirrors a similar trend in Germany. In September, the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated a “historic success,” winning a significant victory in the eastern state of Thuringia. The AfD secured nearly a third of the vote, placing them nine points ahead of the conservative CDU and far ahead of Germany’s three governing parties. The party also came a close second in two other states, Saxony and Brandenburg. This marked the far-right’s first win in a state parliament election since World War II, though the AfD has little chance of forming a government in Thuringia, as other parties are unlikely to collaborate with them.

The outcomes in Austria and Germany cap off a year of far-right gains across Europe. In September 2023, Robert Fico, known for his opposition to Brussels, won Slovakia’s elections and quickly formed a government. A few months later, Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), topped the polls in the Netherlands. His party later formed a cabinet that pledged to implement the country’s toughest-ever policies on law, order, and immigration.

In May, France’s President Emmanuel Macron suffered a humiliating defeat, when Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) achieved its best-ever result in the European parliament. The result prompted Macron to dissolve the French parliament.

How the far-right wins will affect the policies of the EU

The pressing question is of course, how will gains by the far right effect the European Parliament and the EU. For some thinkers, the growing influence of far-right parties in the 2024 European Parliament elections will have notable implications for EU policies. In a report on the European elections by the independent policy institute Chatham House, the authors argue that while far-right parties made gains, especially in Italy, France, and Germany, their ability to affect real change depends on how unified they can be, as they remain divided on key issues like Ukraine and fiscal policies. Nevertheless, their increased presence will influence several policy areas, including migration, climate, EU powers and integration, and foreign policy and defense.

‘Barbieland’ and the EU’s ‘blind spots’

In its report, Welcome to Barbieland: European sentiment in the year of wars and elections, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) uses Barbie as an analogy for Europe’s current political climate. In the film, Barbie discovers that her self-perception is at odds with the real world, where her role as a feminist icon is criticised. Barbie realises that Barbieland is not the paradise she once believed it to be.

The ECFR draws parallels between Barbie’s “dystopia” and the “blind spots” of European leaders, which reveal a gap between the EU’s Enlightenment ideals and its political realities. These blind spots, the report warns, could ultimately weaken the foundations of democracy within the EU.

One of the blind spots identified in the report is the EU’s ‘whiteness’.’ It singles out the lack of diversity on candidate lists for the European Parliament, with less than 20 non-white candidates ultimately being elected in June’s European elections.

“Not only did the candidate lists in the European Parliament election fail to reflect the diverse character of European society, but anti-immigration discourse also flourished in the campaigns in most member states.

“For many non-white or Muslim Europeans, this would have exacerbated existing worries, including about discrimination after Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023,” reads the report.

This suggests that as a result, non-white Europeans or those from migrant backgrounds may have felt disconnected from the democratic process.

Central and Eastern Europe

Another ‘blind spot’ identified in the ‘Barbieland’ model is a subdued pro-European sentiment in central and Eastern Europe, which may reflect a re-evaluation of what it means to be European. The report notes how this region witnessed a low turnout for the European Parliament election, the normalised presence of Eurosceptic parties and attitudes, and low-key celebrations of the 20th anniversary of joining the bloc.

The ECFR links this lack of enthusiasm to a spike in Eurosceptic attitudes, which far-right parties seize upon.

“Rather than pointing to these countries’ sense of marginalisation, this evolution of European sentiment may – to the contrary – reflect a newly acquired self-confidence. This, in turn, is underpinned by a vision of Europe that differs from that of the EU in its current guise,” states the report.

A disconnected youth

A third area of concern identified in the report is a disconnection among young people, with 18 – 29-year-olds being underrepresented in voter turnout in recent elections. While young people are believed to be more pro-European and socially tolerant than older generations, many young Europeans did not turn out to vote in the European elections – and, when they did, they often opted for far-right or anti-establishment alternatives.

“The question here is whether increasingly normalised xenophobia in the EU is not driving some young people away from the European project, while at the same time habituating others to an ‘ethnic’ conception of Europeanness – and thus easing their path towards supporting the far-right.”

The authors urge pro-Europeans to acknowledge these blind spots, give a voice to underrepresented groups, and reverse the drift towards an ‘ethnic’ conception of Europeanness by “reconstructing a ‘civic’ offer that upholds the foundational values of the EU.” They argue that many pro-European politicians are only paying ‘lip service’ to the EU’s foundational values of universalism, equality, and secularism. At the same time, they are presenting immigration from Africa and Asia as a threat to European “civilisation”, or the Muslim population as a security risk for Europe.

The report notes how some European leaders may have concluded that cultivating this contradiction is the only way to win re-election. Creating stricter migration management rules which formed part of the EU’s pact on migration and asylum may be seen by the European mainstream to neutralise the far-right. But the authors warn that this is dangerous, as in several member states, especially in central and Eastern Europe, xenophobic discourse has encountered barely any resistance from politicians, the media, and intellectual elites.

“This contributes to its normalisation. And young generations are growing up witnessing all this, potentially leading to disillusionment with the EU for some or affiliation with the far-right for others.”

The ECFR is urging pro-Europeans to resist the short-term electoral or strategic temptation of staying quiet about the ‘ethnic’ conception of Europeanness, and instead unambiguously oppose and reject it.

“Responsible politicians should be able to call xenophobia by its name and explain to the public that certain opinions that they share or tolerate run contrary to their own interests.”

Which of course, is easier to say than realise politically faced with a toxic legacy and social media with vested ideological and economic interests in promoting dystopia.

Looking to Switzerland

However, there are grounds for hope too which sometimes lies with the complex nature of democracy. Take Switzerland for example, where xenophobia found an early home. The surge in right-wing populists in Europe has been pinned on the mirroring of the successful models of their sister parties, notably the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Since 1999, the SVP, which in 2023 campaigned against mass migration and “woke madness,” has received between 22 percent and 29 percent of the vote in national elections.

However, due to Switzerland’s unique federal system, the party’s influence has been limited, though its persistence remains concerning.

Itziar Marañón of Campax, Switzerland’s largest citizen movement advocating for social and environmental issues, notes how right-wing populist parties across Europe are networking and learning from each other’s successes. But despite the increasing normalisation of these movements, Marañón notes that around 70 percent of voters across Europe still oppose the far-right.

Britain bucks the trend?

Closer to home, the UK presents an interesting case. When Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016, far-right politicians in Europe hailed it a victory for their own anti-immigration and anti-EU positions. But eight years later, and the UK has taken a leftward turn, with Labour’s landslide victory in July offering renewed hope for progressives. But beneath this surface lies a troubling undercurrent of far-right sentiment. Nigel Farage’s Reform Party secured 14 percent of the vote nationally, just behind the 16 percent won by Germany’s far-right AfD in the European Parliament elections. While the AfD is sending a sizable contingent of MEPs to Brussels, a bit like the Swiss voting model, the UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system limited Reform’s parliamentary representation to just five seats, despite receiving over 4 million votes.

As Marta Lorimer, a politics lecturer at Cardiff University, observes: “If the UK had a different [polling] system, we would be seeing a level of fragmentation similar to other places in Europe. Some tendencies are just masked by the way the electoral system works.”

The UK may no longer be in Europe, but what is happening in the bloc presents a lesson for progressive politicians everywhere. As nationalist movements gain ground across Europe, it’s clear that progressive leaders must confront these challenges head-on. Keir Starmer’s recent rise in the UK offers hope for progressives, and he is certainly trying to walk an interesting line on immigration which stops well short of condemning anti-immigrant sentiments as racist but looks to manage numbers by liaising with European governments and improving the processing system. At the same time, he is trying to distinguish between ‘good immigrants’ (economic contributors) and ‘bad immigrants’ (mostly those entering illegally). It is all hugely problematic and risks offending humanitarians who see immigration in terms of a fundamental human need while failing to satisfy those who simply reject the whole idea of legitimate immigration.

The Spanish government is taking a much braver line in making it easier for people to settle in Spain on the grounds that they will contribute to the prosperity of the nation. No doubt other European leaders will be following the fortunes of Starmer and the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez with interest. One thing is clear though: to maintain the democratic values that the EU was built on, leaders like Starmer must reject the normalisation of xenophobia and work towards a more inclusive and unified society.

Right-wing media watch – Loony Mail flits from Chagos to Falklands

“Hands off our Falklands,” read the Mail’s frontpage headline on October 5. The article claims that Argentina has vowed to make a fresh grab for the Falklands following “Labour’s surrender of the Chagos Islands.”

The piece followed a similarly dramatic frontpage headline the previous day. “Starmer’s Surrender,” criticised the PM’s decision to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, a country the article pointedly notes is an ally of China. The Mail provocatively suggested this move could have global security implications.

The paper further ramped up its criticism by featuring an “exclusive” interview with Nigel Farage, who accused Starmer of a “damaging capitulation” over Chagos. The article claimed the agreement was rushed through to avoid complications should Donald Trump win next month’s US presidential election, arguing that Trump’s allies see the deal as a strategic win for China.

The Mail speculated that this decision might signal future threats to the status of other British Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar after Starmer apparently refused to guarantee their future sovereignty.

The right-wing hoo-hah seemed to have been stoked by a tweet from James Cleverly, who condemned the Labour government as “weak, weak, weak” for giving up the Chagos Islands. Though it soon came to light that it was Cleverly himself who had initiated talks on the issue during his tenure as foreign secretary, only for them to be paused by his successor, David Cameron.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat, who, like Cleverly, was knocked out of the Tory leadership contest this week, weighed in, calling it “disgraceful” that negotiations had ever begun under a Conservative government, though he did not mention Cleverly by name. Further complicating matters, allies of Cleverly fired back by accusing former prime minister Liz Truss of leaving behind a “toxic legacy” that contributed to the islands’ loss, though Truss’s spokesperson was quick to point fingers at Boris Johnson, claiming it was his idea to open talks with Mauritius during COP26.

Amid the political blame game, Labour defended its decision by pointing out that the Conservatives had left behind a situation where the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia could have fallen under the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), jeopardising British and American security interests.

Offering a rational perspective, Financial Times associate editor Stephen Bush observed that US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had welcomed the deal. Bush noted the absurdity of the infighting among Tory leadership candidates, particularly those who had supported Cleverly, who were scrambling to avoid any blame landing on their preferred candidate. He also remarked on the irony that it was the previous Conservative government that had initiated the talks.

As well as illustrating the continuing bickering and ridiculousness of the Tories, the story shows how the right-wing media, particularly the Daily Mail, will seize on any opportunity to launch attacks on Labour, no matter how irrational or void of the facts.

In response to the fears pushed on people by certain politicians and their media allies about a strategically important group of islands, Falklands governor Alison Blake said the legal and historical context of the two territories are “very different.”

The UK’s commitment to the South Atlantic territory’s sovereignty is “unwavering” and “remains undiminished,” she said in a statement.

By conflating unrelated issues like the Falklands and stoking fears of strategic vulnerability, the right-wing media is once again attempting to discredit the current government, weaponising complex geopolitical matters to undermine while glossing over the role Conservative administrations played in these decisions.

Woke-bashing of the week – Toyota bows to anti-woke pressure in latest corporate U-turn

Toyota has become the latest in a growing number of companies retreating from their commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Despite the well-documented benefits of a strong DEI agenda, including improved recruitment, retention, and promotion of staff, an increasing number of businesses are abandoning such efforts to appease a small but vocal group of critics. Harley-Davidson and Black & Decker recently made similar moves

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In a memo to more than 50,000 US employees, Toyota announced it would “refocus” its DEI programmes and would no longer sponsor cultural events, such as LGBTQ+ Pride.

“We will no longer sponsor cultural events such as festivals and parades that are not related to Stem [science, technology, engineering and maths] education and workforce readiness,” the memo read.

Bloomberg reports that the carmaker has also said it will no longer participate in table rankings by LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign and other corporate culture surveys.

This reversal followed a campaign led by Robby Starbuck, a former Hollywood video director turned conservative activist. Starbuck has spearheaded online campaigns against major US brands’ DEI programmes and corporate advocacy on issues like climate change and LGBTQ rights.

He wrote on X: The firm was “one of the most-trusted brands in America but [has] gone totally woke…. I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values many Toyota/Lexus owners have (with the exception of maybe Prius owners who probably like the woke stuff).”

Following Toyota’s announcement, Starbuck declared victory, stating: “We’re winning and one by one we will bring sanity back to corporate America.”

Toyota’s headquarters in the conservative state of Texas perhaps partly explains the pressures the company faces in navigating America’s increasingly polarised cultural war landscape.

While the anti-woke agenda gains ground in parts of corporate America, it seems far from universally embraced, particularly outside the US. The UK, fortunately, has yet to see companies and sectors buckle to similar demands from conservative activists. Just last week former Tory MP Jonathan Gullis claimed that “woke” teachers were preventing him from re-entering the teaching profession, a claim met with mockery by many, including theTrades Union Congress (TUC), which posted on X: “The trade union movement will always stand up for workers facing unfair discrimination. This is not one of those times.”

After all, being “anti-woke” and teaching aren’t really compatible, as teaching demands an open mind which is never very evident among the cultural warriors. And of course, teachers have to address diversity every day of their professional lives in order to meet the needs of the children they teach.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is author of Right-Wing Watch

 Support centre opens in Port Talbot to help those affected by Tata Steel job losses

The facility is located in the Aberafan Shopping Centre



News By
Lewis Smith

Local Democracy Reporter

12 OCT 2024

Port Talbot Steelworks (Image: Jonathan Myers)

A new community support centre has been opened in Port Talbot with the aim of helping those who have been affected by job losses at the town's Tata Steel site. The facility, located in the Aberafan Shopping Centre, was opened on October 9 and comes just weeks after the closure of the site's blast furnaces which has left almost 3,000 employees facing redundancy.

The new centre is being opened by the Community Union with funding from the Welsh Government and will help provide support and advice to both Tata and supply chain workers as well as their families and other affected businesses. Their work will include helping people to find new jobs and opportunities to learn new skills in areas where there are vacancies.

While visiting the centre, secretary of state for Wales and chair of the Tata Transition Board Jo Stevens said: "This innovative hub will act as a one-stop shop to help deliver the support to workers affected by the changes at Tata Steel. I am determined to do everything I can to support workers and businesses who are affected by the changes at Tata Steel.

"That’s why this renewed partnership of governments, unions, and the local council is working together to make sure the town gets what it needs. The funding from the UK Government, via the transition board, is already making a difference.

"We know there is still a huge amount of work to do but we are already seeing people successfully placed in new jobs as a direct result of the £13.5m that we made available." Neath Port Talbot council leader Steve Hunt added: "This is a welcome addition to the package of support which is being developed by the transition board to both employees of Tata and the companies in its supply chain."

We will NOT nationalise Grangemouth oil refinery, admits Labour 

Union accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ‘industrial vandalism’

Prime Minister finally admits government rescue deal ‘not on the table’

By Georgia Edkins, 

Scottish Political Editor

THE DAILY MAIL
12 October 2024

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of ‘industrial vandalism’ as Labour confirmed it would not strike a rescue deal to nationalise the Grangemouth oil refinery.

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s major UK investment summit on Monday, his energy department finally admitted that pleas for the UK government to buyout Scotland’s only refinery - even if only on a temporary basis - were not being considered.

Desperate union chiefs, workers and campaigners have for weeks implored UK ministers to take a stake in the oil refinery to keep it running amid fears closing it would threaten the country’s energy security, and de-industrialise the local area.

However, in a devastating hammer blow to thousands of Scots workers, an energy department insider said: ‘The company [Petroineos] were very clear that there was no viable commercial future for the refinery operation.

'It would not be right for the Government to underwrite a business that does not have a viable commercial future.’

Grangemouth’s owner Petroineos announced it was shutting the facility in the second financial quarter of 2025

And an official spokesman for the Department of Energy and Net Zero said: ‘We have never received any proposals about nationalising Grangemouth and there are no discussions under way about doing so.

‘We are focused on finding a viable clean energy future for Grangemouth and have provided £100 million funding, alongside the Scottish Government, to help the workforce find good, alternative jobs and invest in the community.’

Grangemouth’s current owner Petroineos announced it was shutting the facility in the second financial quarter of 2025 with the loss of 400 jobs last month - to the fury of the local community.

Thousands more ancillary workers will also be affected by the closure according to a report by PriceWaterhouseCooper carried out on behalf of Scottish Enterprise.

Despite pressure from unions and campaigners for the UK government to take a stake in the plant the Mail on Sunday has been told this is ‘not something the government is looking at’ and it is ‘not on the table’.

Last night local Labour MP Brian Leishman said the newly-revealed position had filled him with ‘despair’ and called on Sir Keir to ‘learn from what happened to the miners of the 1980s,’ referring to Margaret Thatcher's closure of the mines.


Sir Keir Starmer will not step in to save the refinery at Grangemouth despite the pleas of local Labour MP Brian Leishman

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘What is happening in Grangemouth is an act of industrial vandalism. Unite will not allow Scotland’s only refinery to be mothballed with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

'It doesn’t matter the colour of a party’s rosette, Unite will always ferociously hold the government to account when they are wrong and putting jobs at risk,’ adding: ‘We need public investment to come with public stakes that guarantee jobs and a long-term commitment.’

In September, the site’s current owners Petroineos, a joint venture between Asia’s largest oil and gas producer PetroChina and Ineos - the chemicals firm founded by Manchester United’s billionaire co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe - blamed global competition and falling demand for fossil fuels as they announced its impending closure next year.

It sparked serious concern over a raft of job losses at the site, which produces vast quantities of petrol, diesel, heating oil and aviation fuel for the UK.

In response Labour and SNP Ministers hastily added £20 million to an existing £80 million growth fund for the local Falkirk area.

They also talked up Project Willow, a joint government investment scheme that would examine ways of creating a new long-term industry at the site, focused mainly around storing green renewables.

Yet unions hit back, and insisted the oil refinery must be saved.

Addressing the Unite Union conference in Dundee, general secretary Sharon Graham said Energy and Net Zero secretary Ed Miliband and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were ‘on notice’.

She said: ‘The government must make the necessary investments to safeguard its future. Labour must be forced to act.’

The Keep Grangemouth Working campaign group has also blasted the decision by PetroIneos to close the site and called on the UK and Scottish Governments to act to save jobs.

Last week, local MP Brian Leishman submitted a House of Commons Early Day Motion calling on the UK Government to buy a so-called ‘transitional stake’ in Grangemouth.

That would see the UK Government takeover the plant from as early as next year until a ‘viable’ green energy alternative is found for the plant.

It has been signed by a dozen MPs, including fellow Labour MPs Euan Stainbank and Diane Abbott, and has been supported by campaigners.

In an article for this newspaper published today, Mr Leishman suggested that he had held ‘early discussions’ with UK ministers over his plans.

Labour MP Brian Leishman called on the UK Government to buy a so-called ‘transitional stake’ in Grangemouth

However, a UK government source said that no such proposals were being considered.

They said that nationalisation - either temporarily or in full - was not being discussed by ministers or policy officials.

As well as threatening a Labour civil war, the newly-revealed government position may cast a long shadow over Sir Keir Starmer’s big UK Investment Summit tomorrow, during which his Scotland Office will tout the government’s newly-launched industrial strategy.

It is another bombshell ahead of the major event on Monday, intended to showcase the attractions of Britain to international business, after a £1billion deal was seemingly pulled after Sir Keir’s ministers criticised P&O Ferries.

Ports and logistics giant DP World, the parent company of P&O Ferries, reportedly dropped a major announcement about its London Gateway container port after a press release from Angela Rayner and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh described action by P&O Ferries towards seafarers as ‘outrageous’ and a ‘national scandal’.

Discussions about the future of Grangemouth have also involved claims there is a serious prospective buyer that could step in to keep the refinery going.

North American petroleum giant Hudson Reid Holdings Inc., headed by Canadian businessman Garth Reid, is reported to be interested in the site.

Stacey Oil Services - an equipment company based at Portlethen, near Aberdeen - is also understood to have been working on a possible deal, however Petroineos says it has not received any ‘credible’ bids for the facility.

Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time

By AFP
October 12, 2024

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said anti-Semitism is 'a disgusting and dangerous form of hate' - Copyright AFP/File Ludovic MARIN

A Jewish school in Toronto was hit by gunfire Saturday for the second time this year, police said, as Canada sees a rise in anti-Semitic attacks since the start of the war in Gaza.

No one was injured after shots were fired from a vehicle at around 4 am (0800 GMT) at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls school, with the only damage being a broken window, according to authorities.

The school in the North York area of Toronto was targeted in a similar incident in May, and police believe the two shootings are connected.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “very disturbed” by the incident, which came as Jewish people celebrated Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurting today,” Trudeau said in a post on X.

“Anti-Semitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate — and we won’t let it stand,” he added.

According to a report published in May by Jewish organization B’nai Brith Canada, anti-Semitic acts more than doubled in the country between 2022 and 2023.

In November 2023, a Jewish school in Montreal was shot at twice in a single week, with no one injured.

Hate crime: Muslims still the most targeted group in England and Wales

By 5Pillars (RMS)
-12th October 2024

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Muslims continue to be the most targeted group in England and Wales when it comes to hate crime, according to recently published Home Office data.

The figures, which recorded hate crimes from March 2023-24, show that there has been an increase in religious hate crimes targeting Muslims with 3,866 offences, up 13% from 3,432 recorded the previous year.

Almost two in five (38%) religious hate crimes targeted Muslims even though the figures do not include the anti-Muslim riots in the summer.

Overall, there was a 25% increase in police recorded religious hate crime over the latest year, up from 8,370 to 10,484 offences. This is the highest annual count since the hate crime collection began in the year ending March 2012.

The increase in offences was driven by a sharp rise in religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people since the beginning of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.

Annually, there were 3,282 religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people in the year ending March 2024, more than double the number recorded the previous year (1,543).

These offences accounted for a third (33%) of all religious hate crimes in the last year. By comparison, the proportion in the previous year was 20%.

Other key results include:There were 140,561 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, a decrease of 5% from the year ending March 2023 (147,645 offences), and the second consecutive annual fall.

There were 98,799 race hate crimes, a fall of 5% from the previous year when there were 103,625 offences, which was driven by decreases in public fear, alarm or distress and malicious communication offences.

As in previous years, the majority of hate crimes were racially motivated, accounting for 7 in 10 of all such offences

There were falls in the other three strands of hate crime; sexual orientation hate crimes fell by 8%, disability hate crimes by 18% and transgender hate crimes by 2%.

Palestinian woman wins £30,000 LGBTQ+ film award

Nick Horton
BBC News

Iris Prize
Blood Like Water is described by the Iris Prize international jury chair as "an important reminder that queer people exist everywhere"


A Palestinian woman has won the world's largest LGBTQ+ short film award.

Dima Hamdan said she was “deeply honoured" to receive the £30,000 2024 Iris Prize, because it was both "the 'Oscars' of the LGBTQ+ short film world" and "it comes from a community that has increasingly voiced its support for Palestine in recent years".

Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, who chaired the international jury, called Blood Like Water "an important reminder that queer people exist everywhere, including in Palestine at a time of war and occupation".

Louisa Connolly-Burnham won the Best British Short at the Cardiff-based festival for her work, Sister Wives.


'Queer joy' hard to find at Iris Prize - director

Russell T Davies: I want to do darker LGBTQ+ drama

Cardiff first UK city to host LGBTQ+ EuroGames


Hamdan is a self-taught filmmaker and journalist based in Berlin.

According to the festival, her film "tells the story of Shadi, who embarks on a secret adventure and accidentally drags his family into a trap where they only have two choices; collaborate with the Israeli occupation or be shamed and humiliated by their own people".

Reacting to the prize, Hamdan said: "It is difficult to celebrate personal achievements when the most televised and live-streamed war in human history has dragged on for one year with no end in sight.

Iris Prize
Winner Dima Hamdan, who is based in Berlin, with Berwyn Rowlands, the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival director, at the Cardiff event


“In order to survive these dark times, I find strength by envisioning a future when all of this will be over.

"In that vision, I take solace knowing that the Iris Film Prize, its wonderful team and the jury will hold a special place in my heart for standing with us and helping to amplify our voices."

Festival director Berwyn Rowlands said he was proud that the event shared "stories not necessarily covered by the mainstream".

He added: "This year the filmmakers have focused on the more serious aspect of LGBTQ+ life. Although many are dark there is still hope."

Iris Prize
Sister Wives is described as a "beautifully nuanced and performed drama about two women rebelling against their community’s social and religious constraints"


Connolly-Burnham, who is from Birmingham, wrote, directed, produced and co-starred in her film.

Sister Wives is described as a "multi-layered love story that tells the tale of young women living in a strict, fundamentalist, polygamous society in 2003 Utah, USA".

Tim Highsted, who chaired the jury for the Best British Short, called it a "beautifully nuanced and performed drama about two women rebelling against their community’s social and religious constraints and finding love for each other".

Channel 4 will stream all 15 films shortlisted in the Best British Shorts category for a year after the festival.

Labour MPs urge Reeves to spend tens of billions more on ailing public services

Michael Savage Policy Editor

THE GUARDIAN
Sat 12 October 2024 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is said to be examining an increase in employer national insurance contributions. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian


Scores of Labour MPs are pleading with Rachel Reeves to embrace spending tens of billions more on ailing public services as part of an increasingly wide-ranging budget that could raise tax on employers and the wealthy.

In a huge gamble that comes after a rocky first 100 days in office and a Downing Street reset, the chancellor is closely examining an increase in employer national insurance contributions that could significantly fill a black hole in public spending.

With Labour MPs desperate for the government to show that the new administration can make a tangible difference to the country before the next election, a group of about 70 supportive Labour MPs have now written to Reeves urging her to commit to a major rewriting of fiscal rules that would allow tens of billions to be poured into schools, hospitals, transport links and other crucial infrastructure.


The letter from the Labour Growth Group, seen by the Observer, warns Reeves that Labour must not repeat the mistakes of the previous Tory governments by ducking the “tough choices required to unlock investment” and encourage growth.

The group wants Reeves to follow through with a change that would see the value of new assets built with investment reflected in the calculation of Britain’s debt. The move could unlock as much as £50bn, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, though the figure allocated by the chancellor is likely to be markedly less than that.

“We give voice to the silent majority who benefit from economic reforms, infrastructure projects and growth, no matter how well organised the vocal minority,” writes the group, which includes influential MPs such as Josh Simons, the former head of the Labour Together thinktank, Torsten Bell, the former chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, and Chi Onwurah, the Labour chair of the science, innovation and technology committee.

“It is time to value these assets properly in our fiscal framework … Time is of the essence – the sooner we invest, the sooner our constituents will begin to benefit from that investment in their communities.

“If we delay, we risk further entrenching the barriers to growth that have held our country back for too long. We say this upcoming budget is the time to grasp the opportunity before us and act with conviction.”

While the letter from the group is a show of support from loyalists, it also reflects fears among some in Labour’s ranks that Reeves may opt for a less ambitious change such as excluding Bank of England losses from debt calculations, freeing up between £10bn and £20bn. MPs also want immediate action on investment that will deliver tangible benefits by the next election.

While some in Whitehall are concerned about frightening the markets with extra borrowing, figures close to the chancellor say that there is plenty of scope for a change and that the new rules would provide for a far more sensible amount of fiscal “headroom” that would help the government plan for the longer term.

Lucy Rigby, co-chair of the Labour Growth Group, said the government needed to “break the Tory doom loop of low investment, low productivity and low growth if we’re going to deliver the change our constituents want to see” in their communities. “There is no time to waste and that’s why we’re encouraging the chancellor today to be bold and ambitious in investing for growth in the coming budget,” she said.

Simons warned that the government’s fiscal framework had already become an “object of derision” among some economists. “It’s time we listen to them, to businesses and to investors, and make the government a serious partner for investment again,” he said.

Related: How Labour promises have left Rachel Reeves with a giant budget headache

Onwurah added: “After 14 years of Tory economic stagnation, economic growth is rightly the priority for this government – economic growth founded on a virtuous cycle of investment, innovation, productivity, good jobs and rising incomes – and that is the path toward a prosperous future that my constituents deserve, and which will put us in the forefront of the industries of the future.”

Reeves appears to be already committed to a rewriting of fiscal rules, though the final details of the budget have yet to be finalised.

In what would amount to more of a political gamble, she is considering the increase to employer national insurance.

That measure – either an increase to contributions or applying employer national insurance to pension contributions – could raise tens of billions, but will be labelled a “jobs tax” by the Conservatives

Starmer sucks up to bosses and angers unions on Labour’s 100th day in office

The Labour government says it's had ‘warm engagement’ with DP World bosses who sacked 800 P&O Ferry workers two years ago

Workers march against P&O bosses in Dover in April 2022 

(Picture: Guy Smallman)

By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Saturday 12 October 2024 

SOCIALIST WORKER Issue

Keir Starmer marked Labour’s first 100 days in office on Saturday by siding with bosses who’d sacked hundreds of workers on the spot.

Transport secretary Louise Haigh had described P&O Ferries—which sacked 800 workers in a brutal fire and rehire in 2022—as a “rogue operator”. “I’ve been boycotting P&O Ferries for two-and-a-half years and I would encourage consumers to do the same,” she said on Wednesday.

Her comments came the day before Labour unveiled its Employment Rights Bill, which is a step forward but falls short on the party’s pledges. It promised to “end unscrupulous fire and rehire practices”, but wouldn’t ban bosses from using the vicious tactic.

That still outraged DP World—P&O’s owner—which threatened to pull a £1 billion investment into the Thames Gateway port project on Friday.

Starmer slapped down Haigh in a BBC interview, saying, “Well, look, that’s not the view of the government.”

Whitehall sources told BBC News that there was “warm engagement” between senior figures in the firm and the government since Starmer’s criticism.

DP World bosses will now go to the International Investment Summit on Monday. Starmer, chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds are preparing to court big business at the conference.

Reeves and Reynolds supported “intense lobbying” from bosses to water down protections in the Employment Rights Bill.

Starmer is desperate to regain control after almost a month of scandals surrounding luxury gifts. Morgan McSweeney—a ruthless Labour right winger—was appointed as his chief of staff last week after Sue Grey was pushed out.

But the sense of panic remains for Labour and is opening up potential divisions. One ally of Haigh described the briefings as “disgraceful” and suggested the circle around the prime minister “are running out of friends.”

Labour’s support for big business is driving more tension with the unions, which had been more than willing to “give Labour a chance”.

Matt Wrack, FBU firefighters’ union general secretary, slammed Starmer’s criticism of Haigh as “unacceptable”. “Louise Haigh has the full support and solidarity of the FBU in setting out clear opposition to P&O and other rogue employers,” he said.

“Any backlash or briefing against Labour politicians and trade unionists who challenge or clamp down on firms that have been exploiting and abusing workers in that way is completely unacceptable, wherever it comes from.”

He added, “It’s outrageous that DP World is seeking to derail the extension of employment rights that Labour was voted into government to deliver.

“Rogue employers and corporate bullies cannot be allowed to hold a democratically elected government to ransom.”

A new YouGov poll this week showed that half of Labour voters are disappointed in Starmer’s government.

Starmer unpopularity goes deeper than the gifts scandal because Labour is committed to austerity mark 2 ahead of the budget on 30 October.

Labour MPs, including “soft left” figures such as Haigh, voted to keep children in poverty and snatch winter fuel payments from pensioners.

Earlier this week Wrack addressed an FBU rally of over 1,000 firefighters, who demanded Labour breaks with austerity.

He described the Labour government as an “opportunity” after 14 years of Tory rule. “The question is whether we seize that opportunity to fight for better conditions,” he said.

He warned “those who think it’s going to be easy under a Labour government”, pointing to the Tony Blair government’s attacks.

The Labour government is dashing hopes for what little change it promised, as it sucks up to bosses and prepares for a new round of austerity.

But struggle outside parliament—on the picket lines and streets—can win the transformative change working class people need. Let’s seize that opportunity by fighting back.

P&O Ferries owner's £1bn investment in UK will go ahead despite transport secretary calling for boycott of shipping firm

Sky News
 Sat 12 October 2024




A £1bn investment in Britain by port operator DP World will go ahead as planned, after a frantic effort by ministers and diplomats to repair relations following a row with the Dubai-owned multinational that threatened to overshadow a crucial investment summit.

On Friday, Sky News revealed that the planned investment was under review and that DP World's chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, had cancelled plans to attend the summit, following criticism by ministers of P&O Ferries, a subsidiary company.

On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh described P&O Ferries, which summarily sacked 800 seafarers in March 2022, as a "rogue operator" and called for a consumer boycott.


Her comments caused considerable offence to DP World's leadership as it prepared to sign-off of the £1bn investment in London Gateway container port, timed to coincide with the summit.

In an attempt to salvage the situation Sir Keir Starmer slapped down Ms Haigh, saying the government did not share her views, and officials from Downing Street and the Foreign Office are understood to have been involved in efforts to repair relations.

DP World has told Sky News that Mr bin Sulayem will attend the event in London and it is understood the investment will be confirmed as planned, before a row with ministers threw the flagship announcement into doubt.

A DP World spokesperson told Sky News: "Following constructive and positive discussions with the government, we have been given the clarity we need. We look forward to participating in Monday's International Investment Summit."

Mr bin Sulayem is expected to meet the UK's prime minister, perhaps as soon as Sunday, when delegates will gather for a reception in central London.

The investment in London Gateway will see the addition of two new berths taking the total to six, and a second rail terminal. Capacity, currently at almost two million containers a year, will double and the port is expected to become Britain's largest by volume within five years.

The investment is expected to create 400 full-time jobs in addition to the 1,200 people already employed at London Gateway, and will take the total spent at the facility on the Thames Estuary in Essex, near the village of Corringham, to more than £3bn.

A logistics park employing 1,500 people has also been developed adjacent to the port, formerly the site of a Shell oil refinery.

DP World owns ports and logistics operations in more than 60 countries and generated global revenues of almost £14bn last year.

A government spokeswoman said: "DP World's investment in Britain is a vote of confidence in the stability and seriousness of the government. We welcome the jobs and opportunities it will create.

"By working in partnership with businesses and investors from all over the world, this government is unlocking the UK's potential and ambition. As our international investment summit will show, Britain is once again open for business."

P&O will attend investment summit after Starmer’s rebuke to minister over ‘cowboy’ comment
Amy-Clare Martin
Sat 12 October 2024 

Scroll back up to restore default view.


The owner of P&O ferries will attend a key investment summit after Sir Keir Starmer distanced himself from comments by a minister who called the firm a “cowboy operator”.

After efforts by Downing Street to smooth relations, it is understood that DP World will now attend Monday’s gathering, despite the row over Louise Haigh’s comments about the firm.

The ferry operator’s Dubai-based parent company was expected to announce £1bn of investment in the UK at the government’s International Investment Summit, which is thought to be key to government plans to attract investment to the country.

But DP World was reported to have pulled out of the event and placed its investment plans under review, according to Sky News, after deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and transport secretary Ms Haigh’s repeated criticism of P&O Ferries.

The operator faced scrutiny by politicians from both main parties in March 2022 when it suddenly sacked 800 British seafarers and replaced them with cheaper, mainly overseas, staff, saying it was necessary to stave off bankruptcy.

P&O Ferries was sharply criticised by MPs from all parties after suddenly sacking 800 seafarers in March 2022 (PA Archive)

On Wednesday, Ms Rayner and Ms Haigh introduced legislation to prevent similar actions, with the transport secretary describing P&O Ferries as “cowboy operators” and Ms Rayner saying the incident had been “an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer”.

In an ITV interview Ms Haigh went further, saying: “I’ve been boycotting P&O Ferries for two-and-a-half years, and I encourage consumers to do the same”.

However Sir Keir distanced himself from the remarks during an interview on the BBC News Newscast podcast. Asked whether Ms Haigh was right to call for a boycott of the firm, which she called a “rogue operator”, Sir Keir said: “Well, that’s not the view of the government.”

He added: “And that was an issue that well, you know, the issue that cropped up a number of years ago now that I think across parliament was a cause for real concern. And I think one of things we’ve done is to change that. So they can’t forget that that matters.

“But what matters to me is keeping our focus on that inward investment because it’s... the jobs of the future that matter and jobs that are well-paid, that are secure, that are skilled and in different parts of the country.”

In his interview, Sir Keir claimed he had achieved all he had hoped in his first 100 days as prime minister but admitted that “along the way, there were bumps and side winds, which I’d prefer we hadn’t bumped into and been pushed by”

.

Sir Keir Starmer on BBC’s ‘Newscast’ (PA Media)

The department of business and trade confirmed on Saturday that DP World will attend the summit.

Meanwhile Labour MP Liam Byrne, chairman of the House of Commons’ business and trade committee, sought to play down the row, saying Ms Haigh was “absolutely right” to criticise P&O’s past behaviour, but that new legislation would regulate how the firm can treat its staff.

Mr Byrne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the ferry firm’s past treatment of its workers is “the kind of behaviour that we can’t have in this country”.

But he added that the government’s Employment Rights bill would provide a “very clear framework” on how companies can treat workers, which would “bite on” firms like P&O.

“I think there’s a bit of a split here between the past and the future. So look, Lou Haigh was absolutely right to say that the behaviour of P&O, owned by DP World, in the past has been completely unacceptable.”

Monday’s high-profile investment summit will be used by the government as a chance to champion firms who have already committed billions of pounds to the UK and attempt to woo others who are considering new deals.

“The message, I think, that is going to go from the summit is really clear that if you want to come and do business here, you can’t behave in the way that P&O has in the past,” Mr Byrne said.

“And I think the prime minister was expressing that confidence in the way in which DP World is going to run their shop.”

Labour seeks to balance P&O criticism after Starmer slaps down call for boycott

City AM reporter
Sat 12 October 2024

Starmer said Louise Haigh’s call for a boycott of P&O was “not the view of the Government”.


A Labour MP has sought to balance criticism of P&O Ferries after reports the Transport Secretary’s call for a boycott of the company could have jeopardised a £1bn investment in the UK.

Keir Starmer has said Louise Haigh’s call for a boycott of the ferry firm was “not the view of the Government”.

Liam Byrne said Louise Haigh was “absolutely right” to say that the behaviour of P&O, owned by DP World, has been “completely unacceptable.”

Byrne, the MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, said the ferry firm’s past treatment of its workers is “the kind of behaviour that we can’t have in this country”.

But he added that the Government’s Employment Rights Bill would provide a “very clear framework” on how companies can treat workers, which would “bite on” firms like P&O.

Dubai-based DP World, P&O’s parent firm, is reported to have been planning to announce a major investment in the UK at the Government’s International Investment Summit next Monday.

But, according to Sky News, that investment is under review after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Transport Secretary Haigh repeated criticism of P&O Ferries.

The operator was criticised by politicians from both main parties in March 2022 when it suddenly sacked 800 British seafarers and replaced them with cheaper, mainly overseas, staff, saying it was necessary to stave off bankruptcy.

On Wednesday, Rayner and Haigh introduced legislation to prevent similar actions, with the Transport Secretary describing P&O Ferries as “cowboy operators” and Rayner saying the incident had been “an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer”.

In an ITV interview, Haigh went further, saying: “I’ve been boycotting P&O Ferries for two-and-a-half years, and I encourage consumers to do the same”.

Asked whether Haigh was right to call for a boycott of the firm, which she called a “rogue operator”, Starmer said: “Well, that’s not the view of the Government.”

Asked about the DP World situation, Starmer told the BBC’s Newscast: “Well, look, I think we’ll resolve that.

“But… I think if you look at the last three or four weeks, you’ve seen £40-plus billion worth of investment.”

Byrne, chairman of the House of Commons’ Business and Trade Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think there’s a bit of a split here between the past and the future. So look, Lou Haigh was absolutely right to say that the behaviour of P&O, owned by DP World, in the past has been completely unacceptable.”

P&O chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite told the committee he could not live on what he paid his workers and that his pay package was around £750,000, Byrne said.

“That is the kind of behaviour that we can’t have in this country,” he said.

Byrne added: “Once the Employment Rights Act goes through Parliament, there’ll be a very clear framework for the way in which we expect companies to behave and that is going to bite on companies like P&O.”

Monday’s high-profile investment summit will be used by the Government as a chance to champion firms who have already committed billions of pounds to the UK and attempt to woo others who are considering new deals.

“The message, I think, that is going to go from the summit is really clear that if you want to come and do business here, you can’t behave in the way that P&O has in the past.

“And I think the Prime Minister was expressing that confidence in the way in which DP World is going to run their shop,” Byrne said.

Helen Corbett, PA Political Correspondent

Starmer steps into cabinet row over P&O to rescue global summit in London

Toby Helm and Jon Ungoed-Thomas

THE GUARDIAN
Sat 12 October 2024

Keir Starmer in Edinburgh on Friday.Photograph: WPA/Getty Images


Keir Starmer expressed his full confidence on Saturday in the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, after an explosive cabinet row cast fresh doubt over his Downing Street operation and threatened to overshadow a key international investment summit in London.

Government sources said the prime minister and Haigh had spoken and made up on Saturday after Starmer appeared to rebuke her on Friday for branding P&O Ferries a “rogue operator” in a statement and then calling for customers to boycott the company in a subsequent media interview.

Related: P&O owner to attend UK investment summit despite minister’s criticism

The comments – and a description by the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, of P&O’s behaviour as “outrageous” when it sacked nearly 800 workers without notice in 2022 – led to reports that P&O’s parent company, DP World, had pulled out of Monday’s investment summit and shelved a £1bn infrastructure project at the London Gateway.

The workers sacked in March 2022 were told of their fate by the company in pre-recorded Zoom video. They were told: “I am sorry to inform you that your employment is terminated with immediate effect … your final day of employment is today.”

P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite subsequently appeared before the Commons business select committee over the sacking scandal later that month. Darren Jones, then committee chair and now chief secretary to the Treasury, opened the session by asking: “Are you just a shameless criminal?”

Hebblethwaite told MPs the ferry business was not viable without the changes, adding: “I would make this decision again, I’m afraid.”

With DP World’s attendance at the investment summit in doubt, Starmer was asked on Friday if Haigh had been wrong to describe the company as a “cowboy operator” and to encourage a boycott. The prime minister appeared to cut her adrift, saying: “Well, look, that’s not the view of the government.”

Official sources said early on Saturday they were astonished that Haigh had been “hung out to dry” and “thrown under the bus” because she had only been echoing a government press release about new protections for seafarers, which had mentioned “rogue employers” and specifically said the measures were aimed at “preventing another P&O scandal”.

The release had been signed off by the No 10 communications team. “No 10 comms gave it the tick,” said a well-placed source.

Both Haigh and Rayner were said by insiders to be “hopping mad” that No 10 had not protected them, given that it had sanctioned the same kind of highly critical language towards P&O.

Downing Street sources later said that while the row had been smoothed over, it had been Haigh’s comments about a boycott that had gone too far and caused most annoyance to P&O’s owners.

On Saturday night, it appeared that DP World would, after all, attend the conference and that the investment of £1bn was no longer under threat. Senior sources confirmed that Haigh and Starmer had spoken on the phone and that he had expressed his confidence in her.

The Observer also understands that senior ministers, including Haigh, had not been informed in advance that DP World would be attending the investment summit, nor that they had been proposing a £1bn investment that would be announced at it.

They said the fact that they were not informed was “astonishing”, given that the government last week unveiled its key bill to improve workers’ rights and that this was highly relevant in that context.

“It shows the tension between the workers’ rights stuff and the investment stuff. This is going to keep happening unless we sort out the comms and the grid,” said an insider.

The row comes just days after Starmer’s chief of staff, the former senior civil servant Sue Gray, quit after weeks of bitter internal arguments and tensions inside No 10. She was replaced by another of the prime minister’s closest aides, Morgan McSweeney.

The investment summit has been talked up as a showpiece of the new government, aimed at attracting foreign money to the UK. Both Starmer and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will attend, as well as many of the world’s leading business figures.

The Labour MP Liam Byrne, chair of Westminster’s business and trade committee, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: “I think there’s a bit of a split here between the past and the future. Lou Haigh was absolutely right to say the behaviour of P&O, owned by DP World, in the past has been completely unacceptable.

“The calls for the boycott, let’s not forget, were originally made by Grant Shapps [the former Tory transport secretary] … but now we have got the employment rights bill coming through, I think we are all expecting businesses to play by the rules.”

The Dubai-based company owns the port of Southampton as well as London Gateway and was involved in the creation of some of the first of Rishi Sunak’s controversial freeports.

The latest Downing Street row comes as the government rolls out a series of announcements designed to underline its pro-business credentials before the summit.

It includes the appointment of a new industrial strategy advisory council, which will be chaired by the chief executive of Microsoft UK, Clare Barclay, as ministers unveil the first industrial strategy in seven years.

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said the new strategy would “hardwire stability for investors and give them the confidence to plan not just for the next year but for the next 10 years and beyond”.

He said: “This is the next step in our pro-worker, pro-business plan, which will see investors and workers alike get the security and stability they need to succeed.”

Reeves said:“I have never been more optimistic about our country’s potential. We have some of the brightest minds and greatest businesses in the world, from the creative industries and life sciences to advanced manufacturing and financial services.

“This government is determined to deliver on Britain’s potential so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.”
A chorus of disapproval: P&O explainer

“Are you a shameless criminal?”: how DP World’s subsidiary P&O Ferries was attacked by everyone from Boris Johnson to Keir Starmer

17 March 2022
P&O Ferries tells nearly 800 staff in a pre-recorded Zoom video: “I am sorry to inform you that your employment is terminated with immediate effect.” They included those on the Dover to Calais and Liverpool to Dublin routes.

23 March 2022
Prime minister Boris Johnson condemns the “callous behaviour” of P&O Ferries. He said it appeared the company had broken the law and could “face fines running into millions of pounds”. Employment lawyers tell the BBC it was unlikely employment law had been broken.

24 March 2022
Peter Hebblethwaite, boss of P&O Ferries, is quizzed by the Commons’ business select committee. Darren Jones, now chief secretary to the Treasury, asks: “Are you just a shameless criminal?” Hebblethwaite tells MPs: “I’d make this decision again.” Cheaper staff would make the business viable, he said, at £5.50 an hour, plus pension contribution, food and accommodation.

30 March 2022
Transport secretary Grant Shapps tells MPs the “shameful” sackings exploited a loophole, flagging vessels in Cyprus to avoid UK laws.

30 May 2022
Ministers are said to have cancelled a Home Office contract with P&O Ferries to provide transport for UK Border Force staff.

27 March 2023
The Trades Union Congress attacks an “appalling decision” to allow DP World to co-run the Thames Freeport in Essex, as part of the Tory government’s freeports plan. It is reported the project will see more than £4.6bn in investment, with the creation of 21,000 jobs.

9 October 2024
Transport secretary Louise Haigh promotes a new employment rights bill on TV, urging viewers to join her in boycotting P&O Ferries. Deputy PM Angela Rayner is quoted in a press release the next day saying the sackings were “an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer”.

11 October 2024
DP World pulls out of a £1bn investment at London Gateway, part of the Thames Freeport, due to be announced at the government’s investment summit tomorrow, according to reports.

12 October 2024
It is reported that DP World would attend the investment summit. The prime minister Keir Starmer says calls for a P&O Ferries boycott did not have government support.

Blow to No 10's investment summit as port giant pulls £1bn announcement over P&O row

Sky News
 Fri 11 October 2024 



The government's Investment Summit has suffered a major blow after ports and logistics giant DP World pulled a scheduled announcement of a £1bn investment in its London Gateway container port, following criticism by members of Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet.

Sky News understands the Dubai-based company's investment was due to be a centrepiece of Monday's event, which is intended to showcase Britain's appeal to investors and will be attended by the prime minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

DP World's investment in the port is now under review however, following criticism by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner of its subsidiary P&O Ferries.

In March 2022, P&O caused huge controversy by sacking 800 British seafarers and replacing them with cheaper, largely foreign workers, a move it said was required to prevent the company from collapsing.

Announcing new legislation to protect seafarers on Wednesday, Ms Haigh described P&O as a "rogue operator" and said consumers should boycott the company.

In a press release issued with Ms Rayner, Ms Haigh said P&O's actions were "a national scandal" and Ms Rayner described it as "an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer".

While Ms Haigh has previously criticised P&O's actions, the strength and timing of the ministers' language undermined efforts by the Department for Business and Trade to make the Investment Summit a turning point for the government and the economy.

Hundreds of business leaders and investors, including representatives of US private capital and sovereign wealth funds, will attend the event in the City of London, as the government tries to drum up billions of pounds in foreign investment to fund its plans.

The event is seen by Downing Street as an attempt to reset Sir Keir's premiership after a faltering first 100 days mired in rows about his advisers and acceptance of freebies.

As well as losing for now a £1bn investment in the UK's key strategic infrastructure, the apparent lack of coordination between ministers will again focus attention on the competence of government operations.

It is understood the decision to pull the announcement and review an investment that has been in negotiations for months was made personally by DP World's chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.

He had been due to attend the Investment Summit on Monday, but will now not travel to London.

Mr Sulayem has previously refused to apologise for P&O's actions, saying the summary sackings were a decision made by local management and ultimately ensured the survival of the company and thousands of jobs that were retained.

The £1bn investment was intended to expand the London Gateway facility, adding two new berths to the four that already exist and a second rail terminal. The expansion would have seen it become the UK's largest port by volume.

DP World generated global revenues of almost £14bn in 2023 and operates in more than 60 countries. It has already invested £2bn in London Gateway, and also owns and operates Southampton's container port.

A DP World spokesman told Sky News: "The investment is under review."

Responding to Sky's story, shadow science secretary Andrew Griffith said: "This is further evidence that Angela Rayner may have two jobs but she's costing other people theirs.

"It is not surprising that when you take union laws back to the strike-hit 70s, that the UK becomes less investable. It's not canapés at summits that sway investors, it's having a sensible environment to do business."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed next week's summit when he was quizzed about Sky's story on Friday.

When asked if his cabinet members had cost the country investment, he replied: "In the last I think four weeks we've had at least five or six huge investments in the UK, including £24bn today.

"We've got a massive investment budget, summit coming up on Monday where leading investors from across the globe are all coming, to the UK.

"This is very, very good for the country, very, very good for the future of jobs. It's just the sort of change that we need to see."

Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of the Liverpool City Region, defended the criticism of P&O, saying that while the UK needed as "much investment in this country as possible", he had "very little sympathy with a company that sacks its workforce".

"You can't just fire and rehire," he told Sky News. "You can't just sack workers - there are protections in this country for everybody."

A government spokesperson said: "We welcome P&O Ferries' commitment to comply with our new seafarer's legislation.

"We continue to work closely with DP World which has already delivered significant investment in the London Gateway and Southampton ports, to help deliver for the UK economy.

"Next week's International Investment Summit will bring together hundreds of global firms to show Britain is open for business."