UK Steel Strategy

Ben Lake Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Peter Kyle]

In the many years I have observed my hon. Friend contributing to these debates, he has always been thoughtful and powerfully on the side of the steel sector. I can reassure him that the Government are investing in infrastructure on an unprecedented peacetime scale. The new runways and the 1.5 million homes that will be built as a result of this Government, and the building out between Oxford and Cambridge, to name a few, will all require enormous amounts of steel. This Government’s policy is to increase the supply of domestic steel from 30% to 50% of the requirement. We will use all the powers we have in policy and incentives to ensure that British steel producers benefit from all these opportunities.

[Ben Lake (Ceredigion Preseli) (PC)]

I welcome today’s statement on the introduction of a strategy for such a critical industry, and particularly commend the Government for the emphasis they place on the importance of steel sites across Wales. With that in mind, can the Secretary of State offer greater detail on the types of investment he envisages in the strategy to go into sites in Wales, and the rough timescale over which we can expect to receive it?

[Peter Kyle]

The hon. Member will notice from the steel strategy, which sits alongside the industrial strategy, that place-based investment is incredibly important to this Government. Yesterday, I was in Port Talbot with the First Minister for Wales. When two Governments are aligned in trying to get investment into parts of the country—when two Labour Governments work hand in hand—they deliver for the people of Wales and for people across the United Kingdom.