Government urged to refuse £1bn British Steel repayment to Chinese former owner Politics Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been urged to refuse to pay back almost £1bn in loans to the Chinese former owners of British Steel after it was nationalised earlier this year. British Steel owed just under £1bn to companies connected to its owner Jingye Steel before it was taken into public ownership in an emergency [...]
‘Pro-business’ Burnham eyes Reynolds return to top business job Business Andy Burnham is planning to bring Jonathan Reynolds back as business secretary as the incoming prime minister moves to deliver on his pledge to lead a “pro-business” government. Reynolds, who served as business secretary until last September before becoming chief whip, is expected to return to the department when Burnham unveils his cabinet this week, [...]
Government nationalises British Steel Industrials The government has brought British Steel under state ownership after the steelmaker’s nationalisation passed a public interest test. The Prime Minister said the move “secured the future of British steelmaking”, and follows the introduction of fresh legislation that made it easier for ministers to forcefully nationalise steel companies. Scunthorpe-based British Steel has appointed a revamped [...]
UK manufacturers facing ‘steel quota cliff edge’ June 16, 2026 Manufacturers are facing a cliff-edge from the government’s incoming steel tariffs that are likely to inflict “huge damage” on the UK economy, Britain’s largest industry body has warned. In a fresh statement, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) sounded the alarm on the impact that that new duties on foreign-produced steel will have on importers, [...]
Starmer’s steel tariffs are as hare-brained as Trump’s May 27, 2026 Contrary to supporting the industry, Starmer's steel tariffs will push manufacturing offshore and invite retaliatory EU action, writes Andrew Griffith.
Industry chief calls on government to water down steel tariff plans May 14, 2026 Government plans to double tariffs on steel imports pose an enormous threat to Britain’s already ailing manufacturing industry, pushing up costs at a time when many are already in the jaws of an inflationary energy shock, Britain’s largest industry body has warned. In a letter seen by Morning Wire, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) boss [...]
Cabinet ministers urge Starmer to set path for succession May 11, 2026 Keir Starmer’s Downing Street operation was plunged into a full-blown crisis on Monday, after three cabinet ministers urged him to set a timeline for his resignation despite the robust defence of his premiership he launched in a make-or-break stump speech earlier in the day. Speculation over the future of his government reached fever pitch into [...]
Mark Kleinman: Industry steels itself for long road to recovery March 19, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his Morning Wire column Industry steels itself for long road to recovery Steel yourselves: I make no apology for returning for the umpteenth time in this column to the future of the UK’s beleaguered steel industry. More than five years since [...]
Mark Kleinman: What’s in store for the Square Mile in 2026? January 8, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly Morning Wire column Not great, not awful: a fair summary of my corporate predictions for 2025. On the plus side, I was right to forecast a bid for ITV, or at least part of it, and correct that Thames [...]
There is a future for British steel – but it isn’t built on nostalgia October 8, 2025 Traditional steel making is one of the dirtiest industries on earth. Transforming it into an industry of the future requires innovation not nostalgia.