Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has held any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential national security implications arising from the planned closure of Scunthorpe steelworks.

National security is a top priority for this government. DBT are working closely with MOD and other Government Departments as we develop the Plan for Steel, the Defence Industrial Strategy, and the Strategic Defence Review respectively, to ensure that key government priorities are reflected across these strategies.

At the recent Business and Trade Committee on 26 March, along with the Minister for Defence, I emphasised the importance of retaining steelmaking capabilities in the UK with the Government providing up to £2.5bn for steel through the National Wealth Fund and other routes.

This is why we continue to work tirelessly to safeguard the future of Scunthorpe and protect its workers. We have made a generous offer to British Steel designed to achieve that.