Scunthorpe united at last: How the UK’s last steel plant was saved

4 comments

1. Scunthorpe’s[ British Steel blast furnaces have been saved](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/reynolds-survived-first-test-fight-british-steel-just-begun-3638721?ico=in-line_link) after emergency legislation passed through Parliament unopposed in an extraordinary sitting on Saturday.

   The law gives the Secretary of State for Business the [power to instruct steel companies in England to keep facilities open](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/uk-countdown-clock-fuel-british-steel-plant-furnaces-close-3638449?ico=in-line_link), with criminal penalties for executives if they fail to comply.

   The Government took the extraordinary 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](https://inews.co.uk/news/lose-steel-lose-town-scunthorpe-locals-fear-furnace-closures-3638240?ico=in-line_link). The last Saturday recall was in 1982 for a debate on the Falklands War.

   Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds accused the company of failing to negotiate “in good faith” after it decided to stop buying enough raw materials to [keep the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe going](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/british-steel-nationalised-save-uk-jobs-economy-security-3638045?ico=in-line_link).

   He told MPs: “We could not, will not and never will stand idly by while heat seeps from the UK’s remaining blast furnaces without any planning, any due process or any respect for the consequences.

   The Conservatives said the Government should have acted sooner. Shadow leader of the House Alex Burghart accused Labour ministers of making “a total pig’s breakfast of this whole arrangement”.

   Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said the Government was seeking a “blank cheque”, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Labour had “botched” a deal she had negotiated with British Steel while business secretary.

   She did not provide details of the deal, saying negotiations were still ongoing when last year’s election was called. Her deal “would have succeeded better” than Reynolds’s plan, the Conservative leader claimed.

   Reynolds said Labour had been engaged in negotiations with Jingye since the party came to power last July, and had offered “substantial” support.

   The Government said it most recently had offered to purchase the necessary raw materials for the blast furnaces, the last primary steel-making facilities in the UK. This had been met with a counter offer from Jingye demanding “an excessive amount” of support, it said.

   Reynolds accused Jingye of intentionally cancelling and refusing to pay for existing orders so it could close down British Steel and continue its works back in China.

2. Do that for water company please

3. Some interesting and pertinent points on a sunset clause.
   All such powers needs built in limits of some variety

4. Socialism.

   It was saved because the neo-liberal dogs in power had no choice but to make a socialist decision for the good of the country, not for the greed of the Oligarchy.

Comments are closed.