US Steel and Aluminium Tariffs

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top Excerpts

Wednesday 12th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from my noble friend Lady Rafferty.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

I very much thank the noble Lord for that intervention. Let us be clear that industry here does not want to see a trade war with both sides escalating the situation. Standing up for industry means finding a solution, and we are working on that solution. The UK and the US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies, supporting more than 2.5 million jobs across both countries. It is important that we maintain and build on those relationships. As I said before, cool heads are aware of and monitoring very carefully what is going on, but we do not want to do anything reciprocal at this stage.

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords, will my noble friend comment on how she sees the development of steel in this country? I am pleased that the Opposition are now interested in that. I represented a community that lost what I think was at the time the most cost-effective steel-making plant in the country; I then had to represent the community that was devastated following that, under Mrs Thatcher’s Government, so I am really pleased that they are now interested in putting manufacturing at the heart of this country. In the north-east, we have been developing some very good greening of the industry. Can the Minister reassure us that the plans that the Government have for growth will involve re-energising that industry so that we get the new houses and new infrastructure that we need in this country and rebuild a steel-making industry here?

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

I assure my noble friend that we are determined to support and invest in the steel sector. We already have plans and are taking steps to do that. We see a bright future for steel in the UK, and our plan for steel, which will be published in the spring, will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth and securing jobs for the future in all parts of the country. The point that my noble friend makes is absolutely right about that. This is about ensuring jobs, protecting the industry for the future and making sure that we can go forward on a competitive basis in the global trade on this issue.