Port giant DP World ‘discredited’ by former minister despite £1bn investment in London Gateway

Published

6 months ago

March 28, 2025

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The chairman of P&O Ferries’ parent company DP World has told Sky News he went ahead with a £1bn investment in the UK despite feeling “discredited” by criticism from a cabinet minister.

P&O was widely criticised in 2022 when more than 700 seafarers were summarily fired and replaced by largely overseas workers without consultation.

Last October, the issue threatened DP World’s planned expansion of London Gateway, its deepwater port on the Thames Estuary, when the then transport secretary, Louise Haigh, described P&O as a “rogue operator”.

Her comments came as DP World was in the final stages of negotiating a £1bn investment in the port, due to be announced at the government’s investment summit.

Money blog: Trump car tariffs condemned around the world

In response, DP World pulled the announcement and only relented following a personal intervention by the prime minister to keep his showpiece event on course.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said the criticism was unexpected given the scale of his planned investment in the UK.

‘Water under the bridge’

“There was a misunderstanding. Someone, unfortunately, said something that was not what we expected.

“We were going to invest in infrastructure, a huge investment, and then we get the person in charge to basically discredit us. But it’s water under the bridge.”

Bin Sulayem confirmed that he had spoken with the prime minister and received “reassurances” that Ms Haigh was expressing a personal view. She subsequently resigned after admitting a fraud offence.

The chairman also defended P&O’s conduct, saying that having received no state support during the pandemic, the cuts were necessary to save the company.

“We had a choice. We either close down the company and 3,000 people or more lose their jobs, or we try to survive by letting 700 or so go. And we felt that was right,” he said.

“Maybe we didn’t follow the procedures, but most importantly, we compensated every employee with more than what the law said.”

Rebuilding relations

Bin Sulayem was speaking on a flying visit to the UK intended to rebuild relations with the government, meeting investment minister Poppy Gustaffsen at London Gateway to discuss an expansion that will make the port Britain’s largest by volume and offering encouraging words about the UK’s attractiveness to investors.

“We believe in the UK economy, in its strength, and we believe the economic fundamentals are strong. That’s why we invested,” he said.

“The UK has the best stock market in the world. You have English law, and you have the best universities in Oxford and Cambridge. If we look to the future, it will be the economy of the brain, not the economy of the hand.

“The world economy doesn’t want labourers, it wants brains. People want engineers. They want free thinkers. They want innovators. That is what’s here, and that’s why we invested in London Gateway.”

Tariff trade trouble

With ports and logistics operations in more than 70 countries handling around 10% of global trade, DP World’s chairman has a unique insight into global trade and the likely impact of the tariff war sparked by Donald Trump.

While confident that trade will find a way to navigate the disruption, he warned America’s trading partners to take the president seriously.

“I think psychologically it will [have an impact], but in reality it will not, because trade is resilient. I think of it like water coming from the mountain in the rain, nobody can stop it. If you can’t sell a product in one place, you can sell it somewhere else.

“Trump is a deal maker. He is making threats because that’s the way he negotiates. He comes with impossible demands because he wants people to come to the table.

“But he’s serious. He will do what he’s threatening if nobody makes a deal.”

Business

Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores – with nearly 450 to be made redundant

Published

4 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores - with nearly 450 to be made redundant

High Street beauty chain Bodycare is to close its 56 remaining stores, resulting in 444 redundancies, administrators have said.

Last week it announced the closure of 30 shops, having collapsed into administration earlier this month.

A shortage of stock and the cost of running stores meant it was no longer viable to keep its 115 stores open, administrators said at the time.

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Business

Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Published

13 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

Business

Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Published

13 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”