BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder

Laura Kuenssberg (Image: BBC )

BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg has come under fire after she referenced an outdated document as an "official government policy" on her Sunday morning politics show.

During the latest instalment of her morning show (October 13), the broadcaster was joined by Scotland's first minister John Swinney, the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, the CEO of Lloyds Banking Group and Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick.

The 48-year-old broadcaster discussed some of the biggest stories hitting the headlines today, including the death of former Scotish First Minister Alex Salmond.

But the programme took an unexpected turn when the newsreader broached the topic the P&O Ferries 'fire and rehire' scandal with the business secretary.

She began the discussion with an interview from transport secretary Louise Haige who offended DP World by saying she would "boycott" their company P&O Ferries and warned that they were a "rogue operator."

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Back in 2022, P&O Ferries - owned by DP World - fired 800 crew members without warning after stopping all its sailing. The company then substantially undercut competitors' staffing costs by rehiring their absent crew members using agency workers on low wages.

During a tense interview with the business secretary, the journalist asked him whether the government believes P&O Ferries are a "rogue operator". The politician replied: "No, that's not the government's position.

"But I think we've got to make clear that we do not support fire and rehire. What we believe and are showing is that we can improve the market, we can improve people's employment rights at the same time as attracting the same kind of investments which we need as a country."

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It was at this point that Laura revealed a "government press release" which appeared to contradict this statement. The statement from the transport secretary back in 2022 read: "Rogue employers must not be given the green light to trample over the laws of our country, compromise safety standards, and harm our economy."

The reporter asked the politician again about the governement's stand on the topic, to which he replied: "We will always make clear: What happened was wrong, that's why we're changing the law to make sure that it can't happen again."

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BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder

BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder

BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder

BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder

BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sparks backlash as viewers catch her in huge blunder