The British Parliament convened on Saturday for an emergency session to debate Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal to take control of the country’s last two blast furnaces.
The bill, which Parliament will vote on later today, grants the government control over the British Steel site in Scunthorpe and prevents the closure of the two blast furnaces. This measure could pave the way for full nationalisation of the company in the future.
British Steel, owned by China’s Jingye, decided to close the blast furnaces, putting 2,700 jobs at risk. Jingye cites difficult market conditions, expensive environmental obligations, and import tariffs elsewhere in the world. Negotiations with the government have not yielded a solution.
The socialist government in London is adamant about maintaining domestic steel production. Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised on Friday that the country’s “economic security” is at stake.
Parliament is currently in its Easter recess. MPs were not due to return to Westminster before 22 April, but this emergency has necessitated their return. Since World War II, Parliament has convened on a Saturday only five times.
