After coming up to Liverpool Garston when Parliament recessed this week I returned to Westminster yesterday alongside colleagues from all parties for the emergency recall about British Steel and Chinese firm Jingye’s plan to imminently close the Scunthorpe plant. The site is the sole remaining source of virgin steel in Britain and its closure would have effectively ended steel production in the UK.

The recall saw the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill 2025 passed in a day by the Commons and Lords before being given Royal Assent, saving British Steel despite shameless posturing from opposition parties who complained about the bill but then didn’t oppose it. In fact when Kemi Badenoch was Business Secretary in the previous Tory Government she abjectly failed to get a steel deal done, while Reform’s Nigel Farage was happy to see Scunthorpe go under.

The Labour Party refused to do the same and acted quickly by bringing emergency legislation to protect British industry and jobs. Labour is securing Britain’s future with steel made in Britain in the national interest.

The legislation will give the Government the power to direct the company’s board and workforce, ensure they get paid and order the raw materials needed to keep the blast furnace going. Jingye had refused a generous offer of co-investment from the Labour Government of £500 million and on Friday confirmed their intention to close the blast furnace immediately. Funding for the site will come out of the Government’s existing £2.5 billion steel fund, set up to help rebuild the industry over the next five years.