It emerged during a special parliamentary committee hearing that the Attorney General, the government’s highest-ranking lawyer, was not informed of P&O’s intentions to illegally make staff redundant without consultation.

Maritime minister Roberts Courts gave evidence to MPs, saying he had only been made aware of the details “on the morning of the announcement” last Thursday. Courts said transport secretary Grant Shapps was told the night before “but not any of the details about how it was done”.

Courts was quizzed by transport committee chair and fellow barrister Huw Merriman, who asked why no injunction had been sought: “They (P&O) have told us no regrets, they are not changing their mind. Do you not think you should be off to the High Court?”

Courts replied: “We are considering any options open to us. We will be considering whether there is anything we can do on the back of today.”

He said further details would be given to parliament “next week” once the Insolvency Service had investigated.

It also emerged Shapps had met with P&O Ferries’ owners, Dubai-based DP World, in late December.

Courts said: “My understanding from that meeting was there was a discussion about changes to the business, but not anything more than that.”