According to national news reports, the Insolvency Service has launched criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies.

In a letter seen by the BBC, it said it would consider "prompt and appropriate action" if the law was broken. 

It comes after P&O chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite told transport secretary Grant Shapps there would be no U-turn on the firm’s decision, after Shapps told the firm to reinstate the sacked workers. 

https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1509887708331712515

Shapps has also asked the Insolvency Service to consider disqualifying P&O’s boss from acting as a company director.

The announcement by the transport secretary was made this week as part of new plans related to pay for the ferry industry. It followed P&O’s decision to sack 786 employees without notice and replace with them with agency workers. 

At the time Shapps said the new package of measures would encourage P&O Ferries to “fundamentally rethink” its decision.

He also urged ports to block ferries from docking if they refused to pay their crew the UK minimum wage.

However unions have expressed disappointment that the plans do not go far enough for workers who have already lost their jobs, the BBC reported.

P&O Ferries said on 1 April all but one of the sacked employees had taken steps to accept the redundancy offer made by the company, the BBC added.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Twitter he would be following “this matter closely as the investigations progress”.

https://twitter.com/KwasiKwarteng/status/1509882841194237952