Oral Answers to Questions

Carla Lockhart Excerpts

Tuesday 8th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson]

I am delighted to inform my hon. Friend that my conference calendar already includes a meeting with local leaders in Liverpool to talk about what we can do to back growth and investment in his city and region. I have been in conversations already with the mayor of the city region about the things that he wants to work on and focus on to boost economic growth, and that includes the Liverpool Central development.

[Carla Lockhart (Upper Bann) (DUP)]

Private investment in the steel industry in Northern Ireland is being curtailed by the Windsor framework, because it is forcing businesses in Upper Bann to pay 50% EU tariffs on category 4 and category 7 steel. How many jobs must be lost across Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector before the Chancellor takes action on this crazy steel tariff situation?

[Dan Tomlinson]

The Government understand the challenges of the implementation of steel tariffs, but we have to ensure that we keep a foundational steel sector in the UK. That is critical for our national supply and our national security. The Government looked very carefully at ensuring that the tariffs were applied in the right way to protect downstream suppliers, and we will continue to engage with industry and with Members of Parliament on these important decisions.