Steel Industry

Lord Young of Norwood Green Excerpts

2nd reading
Saturday 12th April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Young of Norwood Green (Lab)]

My Lords, at this point in this vital debate almost everything that can be said has been said, so I will certainly not repeat everything. I will just observe that there used to be steel-making in London, of course. Not so long ago, the last historic bell-making foundry closed, and you can still see the names of steel-producing companies as you look at bridges and various other means of transport production.

The transition to green production will be vital and will require the production of coking coal. It is a savage irony that the current owners are reported to have visited Scunthorpe and asked its workers whether they want to transfer to China to produce coal there. I thought that that was an interesting proposal, but not one that we would want to support.

Will the Government reconsider the decision not to support the Cumbrian mine, which can produce high-quality coking coal? I might have a disagreement on that with the previous speaker. If that mine will not be the source of the coking coal that will be required to keep the Scunthorpe mine open during the transition period, what will be?