Emergency British Steel Bill given royal assent as Scunthorpe plant takeover imminent

Sizewell C bosses hail British Steel salvation in push for 'homegrown supply chain'

Julia Pyke, joint managing director at nuclear project Sizewell C, said: “We welcome that British steel is recognised as a strategic national asset.

“Sizewell C will be one of the biggest buyers of British steel in the coming years – we expect to use more than 350,000 tonnes of steel, including nearly 300,000 tonnes of rebar, over the course of construction. Overall, we anticipate a steel pipeline of over £650 million throughout the next decade.

“This is a major opportunity to support UK steelmakers, protect high-value and skilled jobs, and build a resilient, homegrown supply chain.”

The Prime Minister is set to formally approve investment for the the nuclear plant before the spending review in June - with the facility set to provide up to 7 per cent of the UK's energy by its completion in 2035 at an estimated cost of £20billion.

TUC chief welcomes Bill's passage - as he calls on Labour to go FURTHER

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has welcomed the passage of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill.

He 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 steelmaking 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.”

Emergency Bill given royal assent as DBT officials standing ready in Scunthorpe

Royal assent has been announced by the Speakers in both Houses of Parliament - and the British Steel Bill has passed.

Department for Business and Trade officials are now standing ready in Scunthorpe to take over of the British Steel plant.

The Bill cleared the House of Lords unchanged after the Government agreed to a full debate on the operation of the new law within six months of it coming into force.

Business Minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch said a sunset clause would threaten to cause further uncertainty and create "an arbitrary deadline" for when the future of a plant would need to be settled by.

Five Lords amendments tabled to Bill - READ IN FULL

Five amendments to today's Bill have been tabled in the Lords this afternoon. They are as follows:

• One - to add a sunset clause to the Bill so it would cease to apply after one year;
• Two - to clarify whether the Business Secretary must be on site to exercise the Bill's powers, or whether he can designate an agent to act for him;
• Three - to make the Bill expire either after one year, or after six months of its powers not being exercised;
• Four - to force the Business Secretary to prepare a report each year on the status of the Act, whether it is needed, and for the reports to be considered in both Houses of Parliament;
• Five - to require a debate in both the Lords and Commons within six months on whether the Bill still needs to be in force.

'Why would they resist a sunset clause?' Tory peer warns of overreach as he calls for one-year expiration on Bill

Conservative Lord Hunt has tabled an amendment to the Bill which - if approved by peers - would add a "sunset clause" to the Bill so it would not apply after one year.

"Emergency powers should never be allowed to become permanent by default," he said - but labelled the legislation "temporary but necessary".

House of Lords sitting again to debate Bill - follow live

The House of Lords is sitting once again now - where peers will consider any amendments to the Bill selected by the Speaker, before returning it to the Commons if necessary.

We'll bring you live updates on the Bill's progress as they happen...

Steelworkers' union backs takeover in furious swipe at Jingye - 'Get out of the road!'

Alasdair McDiarmid, the assistant general secretary of steelworkers' union Community, said: "Community Union welcomes and wholeheartedly backs the Labour Government's decisive action to take control of British Steel.

"The Government has sought to negotiate constructively and even offered to buy raw materials to stop the blast furnaces closing, but Jingye have shut down every avenue to keep the furnaces running and avoid imminent job losses.

"Moreover, Jingye has not consulted in good faith with the unions, and they now need to get out of the road to give space to all those who want to see British Steel succeed.

"Today's intervention by the UK Labour Government is a first step towards securing a sustainable future for British Steel and steel communities like Scunthorpe.

"We will continue to work with the Government to deliver this future and build a thriving UK steel industry which supports thousands of good jobs and the economic security of our country."

Officials on the ground in Scunthorpe as takeover looms - reports

Government officials are said to be in Scunthorpe this afternoon to take control of the steel plant, The Sun reports.

It comes after bigwigs from British Steel owners Jingye were blocked from accessing the plant - with one Whitehall source telling the BBC that the automatic number plate recognition scanners wouldn't allow them in.

'Show your cojones!' Richard Tice calls for total nationalisation of British Steel

Deputy leader of Reform RichardTice has urged the Government to “show your cojones” as he pushed for Labour to nationalise British Steel.

Before his party backed the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill, the MP for Boston and Skegness told the chamber: "I think there’s an opportunity, Secretary of State, to go further, to be bold, be courageous, show your cojones, show some mettle Mr Secretary of State, this weekend you have the opportunity to go for it, to reduce and remove the uncertainty of 3,000-plus families in Scunthorpe.

"Let’s go for it, let’s nationalise British Steel this weekend and make British Steel great again."

PM lauds steelworkers as 'backbone of British Steel' just hours after emergency legislation flew through Commons

The Prime Minister has met with British Steel workers near Scunthorpe just hours after the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill flew through the House of Commons without opposition.

Speaking to the steelworkers, Keir Starmer said: "You are the people who have kept this going.

"You and your colleagues for years have been the backbone of British Steel, and it’s really important that we recognise that.

"And I felt it was really important today, having been in Parliament this morning, to come straight up here to see you face to face to have that discussion with you.

"Because this shouldn’t be a remove thing that’s happening down in Westminster, in Parliament, it should be something that’s living and breathing. It’s your jobs, your lives, your communities, your families."

One steelworker responded: "We’re not there yet, we’ve still got a lot of hard work to do."

Legislation receives second reading while Lords adjourned

Labour's Bill has received its second reading in the House of Lords after it flew through the lower chamber unopposed.

Peers have been adjourned for an hour while colleagues propose their amendments.

Chinese owners of Scunthorpe plant BLOCKED from site

Officials from Chinese company Jingye have been blocked from accessing the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe earlier this morning as MPs were recalled to Parliament to debate emergency legislation.

Humberside Police has confirmed that officials visited the Lincolnshire plant but were refused entry.

One Whitehall source has told the BBC that the automatic number plate recognition scanners would not allow the officials through the barriers.

'This is the next Brexit!' Nigel Farage declares war on ‘mass wave of idiocy’ as he teases REFERENDUM

Nigel Farage has demanded the Government ends its "stupid" net zero drive in a furious attack on Labour's "mass wave of idiocy".

Speaking from Westminster today, the Reform UK leader warned that the policy is at the root of many of the country’s problems - including the plight of British Steel.

And speaking to GB News' Political Editor Christopher Hope, Farage demanded a fresh referendum - but on what?

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Emergency law clears Commons after 3 hours of grilling as policy tossed to Lords

Labour's emergency law on British Steel has cleared the Commons after MPs gave it the green light at its third reading today.

The policy is now due to be debated in the House of Lords.

Opposition parties hit Labour legislation with 8 proposed changes

Opposition parties have tabled eight amendments to Labour's Bill to save the Scunthorpe plant in Lincolnshire.

The SNP and Plaid Cymru have brought three forward which address the scope of the policy beyond England, while the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have proposed imposing time limits for the legislation's use.

Another has demanded the immediate nationalisation of affected steel works.

'Get real!' Labour handed reality check over energy costs paid to keep steelworks running

Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh handed Labour a brutal reality check, demanding that the Government to “get real” over the energy costs paid to run steelworks in Scunthorpe.

The Tory MP for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire asked: "Why are we loading the most expensive energy costs on our own steel production?”

He added: "We have to stop these green energy costs. We have to be realistic."

Leigh told the Commons: "We have to get real about China, too.

"Was it not obvious for weeks, indeed for months, that this company, this so-called private company - there is no such thing as a private company in China, they’re under the cosh of the government under an autocratic regime - what do they care about the steel workers in Scunthorpe?"

Lindsay Hoyle halts emergency debate to lambast MPs

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle was forced to intervene and shut down dissenting voices in the House of Commons.

Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart was laying into the Labour Government when Hoyle stepped in to demand his remarks are heard.

As Burghart’s comments become drowned in jeers by Labour MPs, Hoyle stands up to snap “we’ve come back at Saturday - that doesn’t mean it’s crackerjack day - we’re going to listen!”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Steel production not a 'sunset industry', Reynolds insists

The Government has refuted accusations that steel production is a declining industry in Britain, the business secretary has said.

Jonathan Reynolds referred to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of UK-made steel for Heathrow's expansion, alongside the recently announced Universal theme park in Bedfordshire.

He said: “When it comes to steel, we will never accept the argument that steel making is a sunset industry. Steel is vital to every bit of the modern economy, domestic demand for steel is only set to go up, not down."

Former Tory leader questions Reynolds on 'reasonable limit' in Government intervention

Ex Tory Party Leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has questioned Jonathan Reynolds on a "reasonable limit" on Government-led interventions under the new Bill.

The Tory MP said: "I don’t see a sunset clause in here."

He said such a measure could bring "the Government back here to debate whether they should extend that process and puts therefore a reasonable limit on Government activity without debate".

Reynolds responded: "I make clear I don’t want these powers a minute more than is necessary.

"I cannot say at the minute when we drafted this Bill the time frame that they were required for, but I will endeavour and commit at the despatch box to keep the House updated."

He further clarified: "Just to be absolutely specific, where we make an order in relation to control of a steel undertaking, once that control has been established and is no longer required, we can revoke those regulations as well."

​'A failure on the Government's watch!' Senior Tory lambasts Labour legislation in humiliating Commons takedown

The shadow business and trade minister has accused Labour's behaviour as "conduct unbecoming of a parish council" as he ripped apart the party's emergency legislation.

Andrew Griffith said: "Recalling parliament to debate a Bill published only 90 minutes ago. This would be conduct unbecoming of a parish council.

"Our country, our economy and this parliament all deserve better."

He added that today was "not a failure by the steelworkers of Scunthorpe" but was "a failure on the Government's watch".

Business Secretary deems emergency legislation as 'proportionate and necessary step'

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has deemed the legislation as a "proportionate and necessary step".

Speaking to MPs, he said: "It allows us to take control of British Steel’s blast furnaces, maintaining steel production and by extension protecting the company’s 3,500-strong workforce.

"The Bill does not transfer ownership to the Government. We’ll have to deal with this matter at a later date. I took the decision that given the exceptional nature of a recall, it would be better to limit the powers in this Bill, which are still significant, rather than introduce more complex matters of property rights and public ownership at this time."

Reform UK bigwig presses Labour to 'nationalise British Steel'

Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice has urged the Labour to "seize this great opportunity", demanding the nationalisation of British Steel.

Speaking amid Commons chaos, he said: "I’m most grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way.

"Given that the Secretary of State has inferred that actually the owners, Jingye are not acting and have not acted in good faith, surely the right thing to do is to seize this great opportunity now this weekend, and nationalise British Steel?"

Chinese owner pushed for 'excessive amount' from Britain amid negotiations

The business secretary has said that the Chinese owner Jingye wanted an "excessive amount" from the British Government during negotiations on British Steel.

Jonathan Reynolds has claimed that Labour has been working "in good faith" with the firm's top chiefs.

He told MPs: "We have worked tirelessly to find a way forward, making a generous offer of support to British Steel that included sensible, common sense conditions to protect the workforce, to protect taxpayers’ money and create a commercially viable company for the future.

"Despite our offer to Jingye being substantial, they wanted much more. Frankly, an excessive amount. We did however remain committed to negotiation.

"But over the last few days it became clear that the intention of Jingye was to refuse to purchase sufficient raw material to keep the blast furnaces running, in fact, their intention was to cancel and refuse to pay for existing orders.

"The company would therefore have irrevocably and unilaterally closed down primary steel making at British Steel."

Tory minister slams Labour for making 'a total pig's breakfast' of British Steel arrangement

A top Tory has slammed Labour in the Commons, declaring that Starmer's party has made a "total pig's breakfast" of the ordeal with British Steel.

Speaking to MPs, Alex Burghart blasted: "The fact of the matter is, anyone who has been paying any attention to this story over the past few months, has known this was coming down the track.

“The fact of the matter is, the government, as ever when negotiating makes bad deals for Britain… it is a huge discourtesy to the house that we have only seen this Bill for 90 minutes before the rise before we have come to sit.

"Far reaching powers are being given to the Government, far reaching powers not seen in legislation really in the past 40 years."

Business secretary kicks off debate 'under exceptional circumstances to take exceptional action'

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has told MPs: "We meet under exceptional circumstances to take exceptional action in what are exceptional times."

He insists that Labour has not taken the decision to recall Parliament "lightly" and is "genuinely grateful" that lawmakers have returned to debate "emergency legislation that is unequivocally in our national interest".

Debate on British Steel underway in Commons

The debate on the Government’s Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill is underway.

Follow along for all the latest updates.

Starmer on his way to emergency Commons debate

Sir Keir Starmer has departed from Downing Street to head to the House of Commons for the debate on British Steel.

The debate is due to commence at 11am.

Tory MPs 'grumpy' at being recalled to Parliament on a Saturday

Tory MPs are said to be "grumpy" about being recalled to Parliament on a Saturday for an emergency vote.

One former minister has asked why Labour could not have passed such legislation while MPs were sitting.

Majority of Britons support nationalising British Steel, new poll shows

The majority of Britons are in favour of nationalising British Steel, a new YouGov poll has shown.

Over 50 per cent of those surveyed either "strongly supported" or "somewhat supported" the idea, with 28 and 29 per cent respectively.

On the other hand, less than 10 per cent of people opposed the plan, with five per cent "somewhat opposing" it and four per cent "strongly opposing" it.

A third of those asked were unsure, with 33 per cent stating they "don't know".

Scunthorpe plant faced closure within days without emergency intervention, industry minister warns 

The Scunthorpe plant would have faced total closure within days if Keir Starmer had not recalled Parliament to give the green light to emergency legislation, the industry minister warned.

Sarah Jones told GB News: "Without the raw materials, it’s only a matter of time before the blast furnace is inoperable."

When she was questioned if this could have happened within days, she responded: "Yes."

Nigel Farage demands immediate nationalisation of British Steel as he slaps Starmer with damning accusation

Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage has demanded the immediate nationalisation of British Steel, adding that his party would table an amendment to bring the issue to debate today.

The Clacton MP dubbed Starmer's Bill simply a "short-term sticking plaster".

At the same time, Farage slapped Keir Starmer with a damning indictment, labelling him a "fraud".

He said: "He couldn’t care less about British industry, he is committed to net zero."