P&O chief took pay rise in year after sacking 800 workers
• Boris Johnson backs calls for P&O Ferries boss to quit
The accounts also show that Hebblethwaite, 54, was paid £683,000 in the year, plus £32,000 of company-paid contributions into his pension pot.
That is substantially more than the £440,000 paid to his predecessor in the job and more than the amount he disclosed to the business and trade select committee of the House of Commons. He told MPs who were questioning him about the mass dismissal in March 2022 that he was on a salary of £325,000 and that he had received a bonus of £183,000, a payment that he recognised would be seen as controversial.
At that testy hearing Hebblethwaite was accused of being 'a pirate' who was 'robbing staff blind' after the decision to sack nearly 800 mainly British workers and put the remaining workforce on international seafarer agency contracts not covered by the UK's national minimum wage laws under which pay started at £5.20 an hour. At the time the national minimum wage in the UK was £11.44 an hour.
P&O Ferries has been owned since 2006 by the Dubai royal family led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, best known in the UK for his extensive bloodstock and horseracing interests.
P&O Ferries is now part of Dubai Ports World, whose other interests in the UK include the London Gateway port on the Thames and the port of Southampton.
In a statement, P&O Ferries said: 'These results show the progress we're making in transforming the business. Losses are down and financial performance is improving. Our focus on high-quality experience is driving growth across both tourism and freight, with more people choosing to travel with us and satisfaction scores rising. We're matching capacity to meet demand, and continue to invest in greener, more efficient vessels.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
MP recalls childhood abuse as he calls for law change to make domestic abuse a specific criminal offence
Why you can trust Sky News An MP who decided until recently to "never speak" about the abuse he suffered as a child has shared his harrowing story so that "no kid has to go through" what he did. Josh Babarinde describes being physically abused by his mother's former partner from the age of four, and remembers crying himself to sleep under the covers "hearing shouts, hearing screams and things smash". He says he became hypervigilant growing up and felt safe at school but "like he was treading on eggshells" in his own home. The Eastbourne MP, who is also the Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson, says his experience has driven his politics. He is calling on the government to stop abusers "slipping through the net" and being released from prison early. Opening up about his story in his twenties was "difficult" but looking back, Mr Babarinde says, he is "so proud of the resilience of that kid". The MP recently found his childhood diary containing Star Wars drawings alongside an entry he wrote from the bathroom. The diary, he recalls, wrote: "I'm really going to try to go (to the toilet) but I can't. Oh my goodness, I'm gonna be in so much trouble, I'm going to get smacked so hard." Then an entry five minutes later: "I still haven't done anything, I'm going to be in so much trouble." He says reading the entry reminded him of how "helpless" he felt. "It was mortifying," he says. "An abuser takes away your sense of self-worth." The 32-year-old is calling on the government to change the law to make domestic abuse a specific criminal offence. The change would mean, he argues, abusers can no longer effectively disguise their history under other offences like assault. He says the Ministry of Justice's early release scheme, which has seen thousands of prisoners released early to ease overcrowding, has failed to exclude domestic abusers despite government promises because there is no formal categorisation for offenders. It is impossible, he argues, to know exactly how many domestic abusers are in prison currently so perpetrators are "slipping through the net" on early release. 2:39 Mr Babarinde says the uncertainty means victims and survivors are not able to prepare for their abuser's release. He said: "They might need to move house or move their kids to a new school, shop in different places. All of these kind of things are so important, and so that's why that commitment the government made was so important." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "Our thoughts are with all victims of domestic abuse - it takes immense courage to speak out.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action 'sets up a secret website' to recruit new members as support of terror group becomes criminal offence
Palestine Action has created a secret website to recruit activists in an attempt to thwart the Government's terror ban on the group. The organisation is directing its supporters to a secret platform under the name Direct Action Training. Under the website, which was registered late on Friday, just before the ban took effect at midnight, Palestine Action has been privately messaging potential recruits encouraging them to 'join the front line against Zionism', The Telegraph reports. The recruitment message, which was sent on the encrypted app Signal, declares: 'While Palestine Action is banned, we do not want this draconian move from the Home Secretary to deter your dedication to your solidarity with Palestine'. 'Direct action is for everyone, regardless of the name it falls under. We do believe that by staying focused and targeting the heart of the war machine again and again, the people will be able to shut the Zionist supply chain.' The website for Direct Training has its IP address in Iceland, which is not a part of any major international surveillance alliances and is known for its strong data protection laws. To register with the website, prospective recruits are required to fill out a form in which they are asked 14 questions ranging from their personal details to testing their 'dedication to the Palestinian cause'. The form also notes that training be aimed at 'dismantling the Zionist war machine in the UK'. The move comes after the Home Office on Friday welcomed a ban on Palestine Action, with the group failing to block its proscription as a terrorist organisation in a late-night legal bid. Lawyers representing co-founder Huda Ammori, whose father is Palestinian, asked for the decision to be delayed at least until July 21. The designation as a terror group means that membership of or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action argues it is a protest group that has never incited or encouraged violence, but does support civil disobedience. Activists protest against the continuing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since October 7 - when 1,200 Israelis were killed by a Hamas incursion into the country. Police on Saturday arrested almost 30 people on suspicion of terrorism offences after protesters gathered in Parliament Square holding signs supporting Palestine Action, just hours after a ban on the came into effect. Around two dozen people, including a priest, professor and an emergency care worker who is just back from Gaza, sat in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square on Saturday expressing support for the group, which is now a proscribed terrorist organisation. They held signs saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Shortly after their arrival, police officers could be seen engaging with the protesters and the Met said it had began making arrests. Several people were seen being carried away by officers. A spokesperson for the force said: 'Officers are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. 'The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence. Arrests are being made.' They later added: 'A total of 29 arrests were made during this afternoon's protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. They remain in custody.' Campaign group Defend Our Juries said today's protest will be the first in a series of actions which will see activists take to Parliament Square every week. The Met Police issued a warning ahead of the protest, stating there are a number of events taking place in London this weekend and 'anyone attending should be aware that officers policing these will act where criminal offences, including those related to support of proscribed groups or organisations, are committed'. Proscription makes it a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) to invite or express support for an organisation through chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos, the Met said. It is also illegal to belong to the organisation or publish similar signs of support online. Police arresting protesters in Parliament Square were met with cries of 'Met Police you are puppets of the Zionist state' and 'leave them alone'.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Unless we live within our means, Reeves' teardrops will become a torrent - for her and the British people: STEPHEN GLOVER
So that's it, then. After her unexplained tears in the Commons last week, Rachel Reeves has decided that taxes will have to go up again in the autumn Budget even though she previously said they wouldn't. The Chancellor told the Guardian newspaper on Saturday that it was impossible to rule out tax increases, which is a politician's way of saying they'll have to rise. She said that 'there are costs' after the welfare Bill was virtually abandoned last week.
