BP boss commits to future in US

The chief executive of BP, Bob Dudley, yesterday reaffirmed the beleaguered oil giant's commitment to America in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. "I did not become chief executive of BP in order to walk away from the US," he told a business conference London.

Mr Dudley took over the top job from Tony Hayward this month after Mr Hayward bore the brunt of public and political criticism for the biggest oil spill in history. Restoring public trust was a top priority, Mr Dudley said, adding: "We will earn back trust in BP and begin to restore the company's battered reputation."

His remarks at a CBI meeting came as BP sold four of its oilfields in the Gulf to Marubeni of Japan for $650m (£413m). The sites came with BP's $7bn Devon Energy acquisition earlier in the year and were always slated for sale, BP insisted.