Parliament to vote on nationalising British Steel in rare recall sitting

Parliament will be recalled on Saturday to debate draft legislation giving the UK Government “the power to direct steel companies in England” to protect British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, Downing Street has said.

Both the Commons and the Lords will return for the rare Saturday sitting to debate a law aimed at securing the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant in North Lincolnshire.

Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, plans to close the blast furnaces and switch to a greener form of production.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been clear, his government will always act in the national interest. All actions we take are in the name of British industry, British jobs and for British workers.

“Tomorrow Parliament will be recalled to debate the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill. The Bill provides the government with the power to direct steel companies in England, which we will use to protect the Scunthorpe site.

“It enables the UK Government to preserve capability and ensure public safety. It also ensures all options remain viable for the future of the plant and the livelihoods it supports.

“We have been negotiating with British Steel’s owners in good faith ever since coming to office. We have always been clear there is a bright future for steel in the UK. All options remain on the table.”

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'Safeguarded'

The Commons Saturday sitting will begin at 11am, when MPs will debate “legislative proposals to ensure the continued operation of British Steel blast furnaces is safeguarded”, according to the office of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

The House of Lords will sit from midday.

In an indication of how seriously the Government is taking the issue, this is the first time Parliament has been recalled to sit on a Saturday since 1982, when MPs returned after the Falklands War began.

Other significant recalls during recent years included a midweek sitting during the summer recess in August 2021 to debate the evacuation from Afghanistan.

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'Public interest' 

In a letter to MPs shared with the PA news agency, Sir Lindsay said he was satisfied the “public interest” requires the recall.

Unions welcomed the move to recall Parliament.

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB union national officer, said: “GMB has long called for nationalisation as the only way to save the UK steel industry.

“Tomorrow looks like the first step in that process.

“The Business Secretary must be given huge praise for acting decisively to safeguard this vital industry and the thousands of jobs that rely on it.”

Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of steelworkers’ union Community, said: “It is in the national interest that a solution is found to secure a future for British Steel as a vital strategic business.

“We can’t allow Britain to become the only G7 country without primary steelmaking capacity.”

Criticised

Earlier this week the UK Government was heavily criticised by Plaid Cymru following reports that it was considering nationalising British Steel to prevent its collapse – a move not extended to the TATA plant in Port Talbot where 2,500 jobs were lost.

In December, Plaid's Business and Trade spokesperson, Llinos Medi asked the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, why the Government had estimated the cost of nationalising British Steel to safeguard Scunthorpe’s future while dismissing calls to nationalise Port Talbot.

Ms Stevens replied: “The Government have no plans to nationalise British Steel.”

A month later, Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan mocked Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, for suggesting the Port Talbot plant could be nationalised to prevent the loss of jobs, describing it as a “pipe dream”.

Ms Medi MP said: “When Plaid Cymru called for the nationalisation of Port Talbot to safeguard Welsh steel, Labour dismissed it without hesitation.

Speaking after the recall was confirmed, Plaid’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “Parliament is being recalled tomorrow to debate the nationalisation of Scunthorpe steelworks.

“But when global market forces devastated Welsh livelihoods in Port Talbot, Labour dismissed Plaid Cymru’s calls for nationalisation as ‘pipe dreams’.

“In a real emergency, governments step up to defend their strategic interests. Plaid Cymru recognised the importance of Welsh steelmaking. Labour chose to look the other way.

“When it was Wales, they mocked. Now it’s England, they act.

“Labour has taken Wales for granted for far too long – and the people of Wales won’t forget it.”