The UK-based ferry company P&O Ferries is suing the British government over the decision to hand over GBP 33 million of public money to a Channel Tunnel operator to settle a legal battle over secretive no-deal Brexit contracts given to 3 shipping firms, including one with no ferries.
The ferry companies were DFDS, Brittany Ferries and Seaborne Freight, which has no boats and has never run a ferry service.
The UK Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, has been heavily criticized for the deal with Seaborne, which would have been worth GBP 13.9 million. The Department for Transport ended up canceling this contract in February 2019 after the Irish company backing Seaborne pulled out.
In March 2019, it was revealed that the British government would pay Eurotunnel, the public company which operates the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, the GBP 33 million to settle a legal battle over the 3 contracts.
According to Eurotunnel, the contracts were handed out in a "secretive" way and it was not given the chance to compete.