Port Talbot Transition Project

Debate between Jonathan Reynolds and Luke Myer

Wednesday 11th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I am afraid that the hon. Member is misinformed as to what this is about. The issue is that these sites lose approximately £1 million a day. They have done so for a long time, and the owners are fed up and want to know that there will be a plan for the future. The role of the Government is to make that future better than it would otherwise be were we not on the pitch delivering it. There are issues around the competitive cost of industrial electricity in the UK, but they are not the issues that he says.

On the guarantee that he seeks, he will have heard my statement. The contractual terms of the grant funding arrangement include that clawback capacity, not just for the overall project but even down to the number of jobs retained. Those are the kind of job guarantees that I want in the public-private relationship going forward.

[Luke Myer (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)]

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s commitment to introducing a new steel strategy. Steel is not a sunset industry; it is critical for our economy and national security. I know that he is a friend of Teesside. Will he give us some clarity on the status of discussions around investment in steel in Teesside at the moment?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

My hon. Friend is right to make that point. We cannot say enough that this is not a sunset industry; it should have a bright future. We can get this right. On the negotiations, my hon. Friend will know what I have already said about the conversations with British Steel. It is a very challenging issue. We have made it clear that the Government are there to play a part, and we obviously want that to be part of a transition. We have made that as clear as can be. As soon as I have further information, I will update the House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jonathan Reynolds and Luke Myer

Thursday 5th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

It is wonderful to hear a strong and authentic voice from the Black Country making a charge for industrial strategy; I thank my hon. Friend for her comments. The purpose of the industrial strategy is to capture a much greater share of the big international investment cycles, to explain straightforwardly to investors what those are, to provide consistency and to choose sectors. That does not mean the sectors that are not part of the strategy are not important, but is simply because the strategy must have priorities in it. I think my hon. Friend will support our choices, which will be revealed in the forthcoming weeks. Her area will play a major role in the success of the strategy for the whole of the country.

[Luke Myer]

A key plank of our industrial strategy must be green jobs, which Teesside is perfectly positioned to deliver. Inward investment is important—I had a positive meeting this week with a company that wants to invest millions in green fuel—as is backing British manufacturers, which will require the development of the country’s skills base. Will the Minister provide assurances about his work with the Department for Education to ensure vocational education is protected, and British manufacturing is protected as well?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Teesside is a hugely exciting part of the country. There is so much to be proud of there, and so much to be excited about for the future, because of its advantages and the offer that it can make. He asks about green jobs. I have said many times that decarbonisation cannot be deindustrialisation; that is very important. We must recognise that the policy mix that we have inherited is not the right one for delivering decarbonisation, so changes will have to be made. For any business at any level, skills and access to talent in the labour market will always be the foundational issue. We work very closely with our colleagues in the Department for Education. The creation of Skills England and a better link between the skills system and immigration are key parts of that. Moreover, changing the apprenticeship levy to the growth and skills levy, which we co-designed with business, shows that we are addressing this agenda in a comprehensive way for the step change that is required to make our policy a success.