Keir Starmer has vowed to keep the fires of steelmaking “lit for another generation” as he unveiled a landmark new Steel Strategy.
In a move that will benefit steelworkers across the country, the Government has set a new target for up to 50% of steel used in Britain to be made in Britain, boosting production from 30%.
Launching the strategy at Tata Steel Port Talbot, the Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle claimed the move would secure the industry’s role in supporting vital UK sectors like infrastructure, defence and clean energy.
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The Steel Strategy, backed by up to £2.5 billion funding, will also see steel import quotas reduced with higher tariffs of 50% outside of quotas, ensuring the UK steel sector’s future in the face of global overcapacity.
Writing in this newspaper, the PM said: “Time and again, people want to write off Britain’s workers. But if you could bottle the pride they feel for their town and their industry, put it alongside a Government that backs them, then together we can fire up Britain’s economy. That’s why today we take the next step in the resurgence of British steelmaking. My argument is simple: we should use more of our own steel.
“Whether it is the cost of living, public services, or our national security – this Government is always on the side of working people. Taking control of our economic destiny. And making sure the fires in British steelmaking stay lit for another generation.”
Ministers warn without action, the UK’s steelmaking capability faces real jeopardy, with the nation reliant on overseas suppliers for materials essential to our energy security, defence and transport infrastructure. The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since 2015.
Mr Kyle said: “Making steel in the UK is vital for national security, critical infrastructure and the wider economy. Steel-making is a cornerstone of our modern industrial policy that deliberately focuses support for key industries, technologies, and strategically important sectors. With this strategy we are closing the decades-long chapter of destructive de-industrialisation and committing instead to strengthening and sustaining Britain as a steel-making nation.”
Other measures in the strategy include enabling offshore wind developers to include steel manufacturers in the next round of Clean Industry Bonus applications, launching a cross-government working group to secure a sustainable supply of scrap metal for UK steelmakers, and tasking the Steel Council with helping to boost productivity and competitiveness.