British Steel: Why are MPs having an emergency session? April 12, 2025 Westminster had begun to wind down gently on Friday afternoon. Parliament had concluded its formal business on Tuesday in advance of Easter. The news therefore came as jolt that the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, had agreed to a request from the government to recall the House of Commons to sit from 11.00 am on Saturday; [...]
Parliament to be recalled over future of British Steel April 11, 2025 Parliament will be recalled on Saturday to discuss the future of British Steel, Downing Street has confirmed. A government source said it is looking “take control” of the company after its owner, China’s Jingye, said its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe were “no longer financially sustainable.” British Steel employs around 2,700 people but is weeks [...]
British Steel: Talks ongoing as hopes of ‘solution in sight’ for Scunthorpe April 9, 2025 Talks are ongoing as government ministers battle for the future of British Steel this week, with hopes of a “commercial solution in sight”. The firm has launched a consultation on the proposed closure of blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant and the government is in talks with the company’s Chinese owner Jingye. There have been [...]
Nationalising British Steel won’t help the UK’s dying industry April 9, 2025 Nationalising British Steel is a painting-over-the-cracks solution. The real problem is energy prices, writes Elinor Bale.
British Steel: ‘All options on table’ over nationalising Scunthorpe, Starmer says April 8, 2025 The UK is keeping “all options on the table” over the potential nationalisation of the Chinese-owned British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister insisted he understood the importance of the plant, which is Britain’s last remaining steelmaker, in a Q&A with the House of Commons Liaison Committee, after its [...]
British Steel: thousands of jobs at risk after £500m subsidy rejected March 27, 2025 Thousands of jobs have been put at risk after British Steel announced plans to significantly reduce operations at its Scunthorpe steelworks. Up to 2,700 employees are expected to be impacted by the move which would see the closure of two blast furnaces and steelmaking operations as well as a reduction of steel rolling mill capacity [...]
Government announces multibillion-pound plans to boost UK steel industry February 16, 2025 The government has announced multibillion-pound plans to boost the UK steel industry and help secure its future. A consultation was launched aimed at looking at long-term issues facing the sector such as high electricity costs, unfair trading practices, and scrap metal recycling. In the face of US President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs on products [...]
Thames Water to avoid state bailout, the FTSE 100 at 7900 and an ITV bid: my predictions for UK plc in 2025 January 2, 2025 Predictions may generally be a mug’s game, but looking back at my forecasts for the business world in 2024, I seem to have fared better than usual. Klarna, the buy now pay later giant, opted for a New York listing; Dame Alison Rose made a comeback in a senior private equity role; Unilever announced that [...]