Thursday, June 17, 2010

BP Chairman Apologises Over ‘Small People’ Gaffe

THE TIMES: BP’s chairman was forced into a new apology after calling those affected by the Louisiana oil spill “the small people”.

Hours after saying sorry for the worst oil spill in American history, Carl-Henric Svanberg was again apologising for what he admitted was “clumsy” wording. The latest misfortune came after BP had been forced into suspending dividends to shareholders and setting aside $20 billion (£14 billion) for compensation claims.

Carl-Henric Svanberg said that he was very sorry after he had earlier remarked: “I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people.” Read on and comment >>> Susan Thompson, Catherine Philp, Giles Whittell, Washington | Thursday, June 17, 2010

'We Care About the Small People': BP chairman's message for Gulf Coast residents affected by oil spill