British Steel latest: MPs sit for emergency session as Starmer says ‘national security’ on the line

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MPs face choice on British Steel as ministers aim to ‘take back control’

MPs face a choice between “taking back control” of BritishSteel or seeing the end of primary steelmaking in the UK, the industry minister said ahead of a debate on emergency legislation.

Both the Commons and the Lords will break from Easter recess for a highly unusual Saturday sitting to debate a Bill aimed at blocking the company’s Chinese owners, Jingye, from closing blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant.

MPs will debate emergency legislation on Saturday to allow ministers to instruct British Steel’s owners to keep its Scunthorpe plant open (PA)

Speaking to Sky News on Saturday morning, industry minister Sarah Jones suggested negotiations with Jingye on saving the plant had broken down, accusing the company of failing to act “in good faith”.

She said: “This problem has now become existential because the company have refused to bring in the raw materials that we need to keep the blast furnaces operating.

“If blast furnaces are closed in an unplanned way, they can never be reopened, the steel just solidifies in those furnaces and nothing can be done.

“So the choice that is facing MPs today is do we want to take back control, to give the Business Secretary the power to act as a company director and to instruct the company to ensure we get the raw materials and we keep the blast furnaces operating, or do we want to see the end of primary steel making in this country and the loss of jobs?”

Rebecca Thomas12 April 2025 09:01

Parliament sits for historic emergency session as Starmer says ‘national security’ on the line

Parliament will be recalled for a rare weekend sitting on Saturday, after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled an emergency plan to take control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant.

MPs will vote on emergency legislation aimed at blocking the firm’s Chinese owners, Jingye, from closing blast furnaces at the Lincolnshire site after the prime minister warned the future of the company “hangs in the balance”.

After crunch talks with Jingye, officials in the Department for Business and Trade believed its intention was to stop the supply of raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces operating.

If the furnaces are stopped, it is extremely difficult and costly to them back online.