A £1 billion investment in an Essex port will go ahead, despite a row over comments made about owner P&O Ferries, the business secretary has said.
It has been suggested that DP World could shelve the project after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh branded P&O Ferries a “rogue operator”.
But Jonathan Reynolds told BBC DP World that the London Gateway port expansion project “is going to go ahead”.
The row had threatened to overshadow a major government summit opening on Monday, at which ministers want to showcase investment in the UK.
But DP World will now attend the International Investment Summit, where the government hopes to attract billions of pounds of investment.
The row began after an interview on Wednesday in which Haigh said she had been boycotting P&O Ferries since its decision in 2022 to lay off 800 employees and replace them with cheaper agency workers, adding that she would “encourage consumers to make even”.
The company defended the decision as “tough but necessary”, arguing that it was necessary to safeguard the future of the company.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Reynolds said his cabinet colleague had not expressed “the government's position”.
He added that Labor maintained the dismissals were “wrong”, but stressed that it had now announced plans to strengthen legal protections for seafarers.
“It is now true that, because we are in government, we can prevent what happened with P&O Ferries from happening again,” he added.
Speaking on Sky News, Reynolds said the government had to “have a conversation” with DP World, following reports the investment would be put on hold.
Reynold's comments came after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also told the BBC television news on Friday that Haigh's views were not those of the government.
On Saturday, a government source said the Prime Minister had confidence in Haigh. Her ministry announced that she would attend the investment summit on Monday.
Haigh's comments coincided with the Department for Transport's announcement of new legislation aimed at protecting seafarers' jobs from the so-called “fire and rehire” practices of “rogue employers”.
DP World said the London Gateway port expansion would bring hundreds of jobs to Thurrock, Essex.
The UAE-based company also owns the Southampton container port.
A company spokesperson told the PA news agency it had received “the clarity we needed” after “constructive and positive discussions with the government”.
“We look forward to participating in the International Investment Summit on Monday,” they added.
