The Mirror reported that UK’s Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Mr Kwasi Kwarteng said the government wantsto support the sector as it battles to slash emissions. He told the Commons Business Select Committee “The kind of principle behind any long-term future for the industry, which I passionately believe in, means some deal around decarbonisation Government support for the industry. We are definitely looking at a potential steel consultation, steel deal, if you like. It's definitely something that's being considered.”

 

Mr Kwarteng also insisted ministers wanted to avoid the industry lurching from one crisis to another. Mr Kwarteng said “In the next few months we should have more clarity about what we will be coming out with, but I definitely hear the arguments that we have to think of steel on a longer-term basis because I and a number of my predecessors have dealt with steel crises over the last five or six years now on an ad-hoc basis. We had the Tata Steel crisis in 2016, we've had an on going issue with British Steel and Greybull and selling it onto Chinese firm Jingye after a period where it was being looked after by the Official Receiver and we've got issues now. I want to have a much more sustainable approach.”

 

UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Steel and Metal Related Industries Chairman British Member of Parliament Mr Stephen Kinnock said “When he was asked about whether the steel industry would be granted the type of sector deal awarded to industries such as automotive, aerospace and construction, all of which are underpinned by UK steel, the Business Secretary replied, almost satirically, We are definitely looking at a potential steel consultation. It is this type of vague non-commitment that has led UK steelmakers to wonder if the UK Government is really committed to the industry, and if it has any concept at all of how important UK steel is to our defence, our infrastructure, our national resilience, our industrial communities and to greening our economy. The Government must commit to a sector deal for steel, with decarbonisation and a just transition for workers at its heart, along with action on sky-high industrial electricity prices, and a commitment from UK Government agencies to buy British.”

 

Community steelworkers' union operations director Mr Alasdair McDiarmid said “Safeguarding the long-term future of our strategic industry means we have to decarbonise, which can only be achieved with government leadership and the full engagement of all stakeholders. Steelworkers must be at the centre of decision-making and a fair transition will require extensive investment that protects jobs and steel communities. There’s no doubt a strong British steel industry is essential for delivering our climate objectives. It should be a no-brainer because either we make the steels here, supporting tens of thousands of good jobs, or we give up those jobs and rely on high-carbon imports from countries playing by different rules.”

 

source：SteelGuru Business News