Closing summary
After a remarkable day, we’ll be closing this blog shortly. Here’s a summary of the day’s developments:
Proposals to save British Steel’s Scunthorpe blast furnaces have been approved by Parliament after an extraordinary sitting on Saturday.
Emergency legislation giving the government the power to instruct British Steel to keep the plant open passed both the Commons and Lords in a single day unopposed.
The TUC has welcomed the move, describing it as “the right thing to do and it’s in the national interest”.
Ministers had taken the unusual step of recalling Parliament from its Easter recess to sit on Saturday after negotiations with British Steel’s Chinese owners, Jingye, appeared to break down.
Executives from Jingye were blocked from entering the Scunthorpe plant by workers and the police, sources confirmed to the Guardian. Workers feared Jingye executives might sabotage the works, according to a person briefed on events.
Meanwhile, the prime minister met British Steel workers near Scunthorpe, telling them: “You and your colleagues for years have been the backbone of British Steel, and it’s really important that we recognise that”
The government taking control of British Steel is “the right thing to do”, the TUC has said.
Commenting on the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill passing, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:
The government stepping in to take control of British Steel is the right thing to do and it’s in the national interest.
It is right that Ministers do whatever it takes, including nationalisation, to secure the future of steel.
Steel is a foundation industry. This move will help to safeguard thousands of jobs, protect our critical infrastructure and ensure we continue to produce steel here in the UK.
Today’s announcement is the first step towards ensuring we can modernise and decarbonise steel-making in this country - reducing our reliance on foreign imports and ensuring we stay competitive on the global stage.
But the government should not stop there. We need to ensure British steel is used in British infrastructure projects to boost local economies up and down the country.
That’s how you protect steel workers’ jobs through the transition, and put UK steelmaking on a firm footing for the future.
