Scunthorpe Steelworks

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Thursday 27th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

I think the Minister is giving a few mixed messages, if I may say so. The Government are sending support people to counsel those who may be out of a job and are making an offer to the firm that will actually be providing those jobs to try to cushion the blow. The sad reality is that if those blast furnaces close down they will not be recoverable, so the first thing that has to happen is ensuring that they are not closed down. The consequence would be the steel industry going into steep decline, with more people unemployed; we would then have to import steel from China at a much higher cost. Why will we not give a guarantee that the blast furnaces will not close down?

[Sarah Jones]

I am sure the hon. Gentleman knows that this is a private company that will make decisions of its own. We are operating within that environment. We have put an offer on the table that is about the development and redevelopment of Scunthorpe, the creation of an electric arc furnace and the transition for that. The offer is still on the table and we are still talking to the company about it. The reason that we are there on the ground now is that the company has decided to launch a consultation on redundancies, and it is right and proper that we are there to provide support to workers.