Tony Hayward's 'embarrassing' day off
BP's CEO took a day off to watch a yacht race sponsored by a Wall Street bank. Did he mess up again?

For a day, at least, BP chief executive Tony Hayward got his life back. Hayward, whom BP recently relieved of his oil spill management duties, spent Saturday in the United Kingdom, watching his 52-foot sailing yacht "Bob" compete in a JPMorganChase-sponsered event off England's southern coast. While the outing drew condemnation from both the White House and members of Congress, a BP spokesperson defended Hayward's attendance, noting it was his first day off in two months. Did Hayward step in it again? This must be "the world's dumbest CEO," says Kelly McParland in the National Post. "If there is a case study in how not to act in a crisis, this guy is it." Hayward isn't entirely to blame, says Jonathan Fenby in the Guardian. For the sake of appearances alone, his employer ought to have made certain that its "Chief Embarrasment Officer" spent "a dutiful weekend at his desk" — even if he closed the office door and watched World Cup games. Watch video of Hayward aboard "Bob" below:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions