MP backs Government plan to save British Steel

WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols is backing the Governments plan to save British Steel ensuring production of virgin steel remains in the UK.

It follows the Governments announced plan to take control of the British Steel plant at Scunthorpe, after its furnaces were at risk of closure due to lack of raw materials under the ownership of Jinqye, a firm from China.

British Steel is the last plant in the UK making virgin steel, which is of higher quality than other plants making steel from recycled material.
Making steel in the UK is not only vital for our national infrastructure projects, but for our own national security and defence.
The Government has acted decisively to secure the future of the site and raw materials are now on their way to keep the furnaces open at the plant.

Ms Nichols said: “Parliament has been recalled to debate emergency legislation (Steel Industry Special Measures Bill) to give the business secretary powers to protect British steel production.
“Steel privatisation has been a disaster, and the UK’s last remaining blast furnace in Scunthorpe capable of making virgin steel is on the brink of shutting down, with its owners Jingye cancelling orders of raw materials. Without supplies, the blast furnaces grind to a halt and cannot be restarted.
“This is not acceptable, and we will not sit idly by. Decisive action today will protect thousands of jobs, the millions of tonnes of steel required for our industries and our national security.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the interest of working people and UK industry. Thanks to the work of those at British Steel, and in my department, we have moved decisively to secure the raw materials we need to help save British Steel.
“Our industries depend on UK steel and – thanks to our Plan for Change – demand is set to shoot up: helping build the 1.5 million homes, railways, schools and hospitals we need to usher in a decade of national renewal.”
Steelmaking in Scunthorpe began over 160 years ago. British Steel was nationalised in 1967, but has been operated by the private sector since the late 1980s. Most recently British Steel Scunthorpe has been operated by Chinese owned Jingye since 2020.
Britain currently has six operating steel mills, with the facility at Scunthorpe producing the second-most amount of steel after the Tata site at Port Talbot. The rescue plan will not only protect jobs at Scunthorpe, but also 37,000 jobs in the supply chain.