Boris Johnson is politically powerless in the face of the P&O sackings

The rights of workers has never been a particular strong suit for the Conservatives, but there is scope for the prime minister to change that in the long term, argues Sean O’Grady

Boris Johnson on his way to Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on Wednesday (AFP/Getty)

Short of taking P&O into public ownership and giving the 800 sacked workers their old jobs back, the reality is that there is remarkably little Boris Johnson can do about their summary redundancy.

Politically, it means that the prime minister will continue to look powerless and possibly even complacent in the face of what he himself describes as “scandalous” behaviour by the company. Without some tangible success he risks looking weak and reluctant to take decisive action to protect workers’ rights, never a particularly strong suit for his party.

Yet, at Prime Minister’s Questions he was at it again. Johnson made a meal of quoting section 194 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act of 1992 and the 1996 Employment Rights Act: “It looks to me as though the company concerned has broken the law, and we will be taking action, therefore, and we will be encouraging workers themselves to take action.” According to the prime minister, the fines might amount to “millions of pounds”. There will also be an extension of rights and the living wage to the British “exclusive economic zone” is promised (which implies the current law does indeed not protect the ex-P&O staff).