What is important is not only the numbers but where in the country those jobs are, because as well as adjusting the mix of our economy to include more manufacturing, a long-term aspiration of successive Governments has been to rebalance the economy away from London. More than 30,000 people work in the steel industry, from watermen to control panel engineers and from craft workers to lab technicians. The other aspect of the steel industry’s significance is the jobs it provides, the communities it forms and has formed, and the culture of which I am proudly a part.
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There are immediate issues that need to be resolved, hopefully in the autumn statement, and there are further long-term issues in relation to an industrial strategy, how we form that strategy by sector and how the steel sector needs specific treatment in order to go forward. The Opposition have been talking about that for the past six years, but be that as it may, the Government are there and we want to work with them over the next few months to form that industrial strategy. There have been warm and welcome words from the Government about an industrial strategy. That is a simple example of the importance of using high-quality steel for infrastructure and why choosing to use British steel for such projects is not just the patriotic choice, but the best choice. British steel, such as that made at the main competitor to that manufacturer, Sheffield Forgemasters, is more reliable, and I hope it will be used in the similar Hinkley Point C EPR reactors.
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In the summer, France’s nuclear safety authority found weaknesses in what I believe is Japanese-made steel in the reactor, which further delayed the project and raised safety concerns. It means our security, our ability to compete and our ability to keep the lights on are not dependent on other countries.Īs an aside, look at the problems the French Government are having in building the Flamanville EPR nuclear reactor. As well as being the foundation for other industries, steel is strategically important because it allows us to retain the capacity to build infrastructure projects, from Trident to transport to energy. A successful steel industry helps those industries and a weak one damages them. The products of our steel industry supply the booming automotive manufacturing industry and the aerospace manufacturing industry, among others. If the Government want to rebalance the economy away from London and to build our manufacturing sector, they simply must support the steel sector. I know everyone here understands the importance of the industry, but some confusion persists, so I hope colleagues will understand if I reiterate why the steel industry is particularly significant to the UK.įundamentally, steel is a strategic and foundational industry. That is something I and colleagues here today have repeated throughout the crisis and prior to it. The steel industry is not a dead or dying industry. Friend the Member for Redcar (Anna Turley) for co-sponsoring the debate, which is much needed to get the steel industry crisis back on the national agenda. I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a member of the Community trade union. That this House has considered the future of the steel industry.