British steel will “lurch from crisis to crisis” without government intervention say MPs
Britain's steel industry risks “lurching from crisis to crisis” without decisive intervention from government, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
A band of MPs led by Labour's Stephen Kinnock is calling for an urgent intervention to protect the sector, on the same day Prime Minister Theresa May launches her industrial strategy.
40 MPs from Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives have backed the report, which will be launched in parliament today.
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It makes a series of demands for reform, including support on the energy bills faced by steelworks and accelerated defences to prevent the dumping of cheap foreign steel in the UK.
“We are sick and tired of raising the issue of steel in parliament and being told by government that it was a work in progress.”
“What we have is a Conservative government that has no shortage of warm words, but so far the actions have been frozen.” Kinnock told Morning Wire.
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“These are things that should have been done yesterday. The time for excuses has run out.”
The future of the Port Talbot steelworks in Kinnock's constituency of Aberavon was in question for much of 2016, with owner Tata currently seeking to win the support of members for a cut to pension benefits linked to future investment for the site.