BP attacks in U.S. anger Britons

U.S. anger over the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and attacks on BP PLC are sparking a backlash in Britain, where BP, known for its now questionable dividend, is a hometown favourite among investors.

British backs are getting up, particularly given President Barack Obama's comments earlier in the week, when he said he wanted to know "whose ass to kick" and that BP chief Tony Hayward wouldn't be working for him were he Mr. Hayward's boss.

Britain's new Prime Minister David Cameron came to BP's defence, saying that while he was concerned by the environmental damage in the U.S., BP is an economically important company to both Britain and the United States. Other British leaders have also spoken out.

Yesterday, London's mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC that "when you consider the huge exposure of British pension funds to BP, it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on the airways."

And on his web site, Lord Tebbit of Chingford wrote:

"The whole might of American wealth and technology is displayed as utterly unable to deal with the disastrous spill - so what more natural than a crude, bigoted, xenophobic display of partisan political Presidential petulance against a multinational company?"

Hmm, sounds like when one gets to the bottom of the matter"

" Sadly It boils down to... ALL ABOUT MONEY. "