Opposition day on Tuesday, 23 January 2024, in the House of Commons, led by Jonathan Reynolds. The answering members were David TC Davies and Nusrat Ghani.

Protecting Steel in the UK

Third Opposition day debate (part two). Motion that this House recognises the need to decarbonise steel production; appreciates the pride that local communities have in their historic steelworks; regrets that the Government has pushed through plans for decarbonising steel in the UK which will result in thousands of steelworkers losing their jobs and risk leaving the UK as the first developed country in the world without the capacity to produce primary steel; further regrets that the Government has failed to produce an industrial strategy which could have included a plan for the whole steel sector; believes that primary steel is a sovereign capability and is therefore concerned about the impact that the Government’s plans could have on national security; also believes that steel production can have a bright future in the UK; therefore calls on the Government to work with industry and workers to achieve a transition that secures jobs and primary steelmaking for decades to come; and further calls on the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to report to Parliament by 27 February 2024 with an assessment of the impact on the UK of the loss of primary steel production capabilities. Closure motion agreed to on question. Main question agreed to on division (223 to 0).

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 744
Session: 2023-24
Department: Wales Office; Department for Business and Trade
Procedure: Closure motions; Proxy voting
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Roger Gale | 744 c235 (Link to this contribution)
Let me say at the very start of the debate that a lot of hon. Members on both sides of the House ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c235 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House recognises the need to decarbonise steel production; appreci...; Zarah Sultana | 744 c235 (Link to this contribution)
Decades of underinvestment and managed decline have devastated our steel industry, as the news fr...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c235 (Link to this contribution)
I intend to make the case today that the UK steel industry could have a strong future, but that r...; Mark Tami | 744 c235 (Link to this contribution)
Will my hon. Friend give way?; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
I am cautious of doing so given the warning about time, but I will give way as I know my right ho...; Mark Tami | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. He will be aware that I have the privilege of representing...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Roger Gale | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
Before the hon. Gentleman continues, may I make a point? I understand how this game is played, an...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
It was a pleasure to visit the Shotton steelworks with my right hon. Friend last year, and he wil...; 744 c236 (Link to this contribution); Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
I will take an intervention from the Government Benches and one more from the Labour Back Benches...; Robert Goodwill | 744 c236 (Link to this contribution)
If the hon. Gentleman is so determined that steel is a resource we as a nation should have, why i...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 cc236-7 (Link to this contribution)
We have considerable expertise in that matter, and that grade of coal is no good for the current ...; Anna McMorrin | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
Many of my constituents are impacted by this devastating closure, and closing Port Talbot will me...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
Of course, the decision has to be considered in conjunction with the one in Scunthorpe, and that ...; David TC Davies | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
Does the hon. Gentleman realise that I was the chairman of the transition board supporting all th...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
I think that is a pathetic response. I mean no discourtesy, but that is pathetic. It is entirely ...; 744 c237 (Link to this contribution); Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
I can give way one more time, to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham); Alex Cunningham | 744 c237 (Link to this contribution)
When I was a young reporter on the Evening Gazette, the steel industry supported tens of thousand...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c238 (Link to this contribution)
I agree entirely.; 744 c238 (Link to this contribution); Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c238 (Link to this contribution)
I will take an intervention from the Government Benches, then one from my hon. Friend the Member ...; Mark Pawsey | 744 c238 (Link to this contribution)
Is the hon. Gentleman overlooking the half a billion pounds that the Government will contribute t...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c238 (Link to this contribution)
I am not ignoring that investment; I am making the case that it is a bad deal and that there is a...; Richard Burgon | 744 c238 (Link to this contribution)
I grew up, like the shadow Minister, in a region ripped apart by the economic vandalism of Thatch...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 cc238-240 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with that case. That is why this is such an important issue for Parliament to consider. I...; Stephen Crabb | 744 c240 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is being generous with his time. I came here this evening, as I am sure the wo...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 cc240-1 (Link to this contribution)
It is literally here in my hands. It is not hard to find. I say to Conservative colleagues that G...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c241 (Link to this contribution)
First, I want to express my sympathies for the employees of Tata Steel during what is undoubtedly...; Mark Tami | 744 c241 (Link to this contribution)
Shotton can use imported steel from India, but that is not a long-term alternative. Importing ste...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Steel is infinitely recyclable and we have a glut of it in the UK. We use shy of 3 million tonnes...; John Hayes | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Is not the truth of the matter—I admired, by the way, the shadow Secretary of State’s rhetoric—th...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for that contribution. The truth of the matter is that the Oppositio...; Ian Lavery | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister mentioned the potential consultation. Tata has a legal obligation to consult the rec...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely. I spoke to the hon. Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock), who represents Port Talbot...; Mark Pawsey | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Is it not the case that Tata has been losing £1 million a day at this plant, which is old? The Se...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right. Tata Steel is actually losing £1.5 million a day. A statement put out by...; Nick Smith | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Andrew Percy | 744 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Nusrat Ghani | 744 cc242-3 (Link to this contribution)
I will make a bit of progress and then I will take interventions.
Tata’s proposed plans hav...; Andrew Percy | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I give way to my hon. Friend, because he has been so patient.; Andrew Percy | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend. She has been a friend to those of us on these Benches who have been conce...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
The technology has moved on. Although 90% of everything that we need can be made from recycled st...; Liam Byrne | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I give way to the Chair of the Select Committee.; Liam Byrne | 744 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I just want to pin something down, because that was an important intervention. On 8 November the ...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c244 (Link to this contribution)
I did follow the debate in the Select Committee, and I think the Secretary of State said that the...; Grahame Morris | 744 c244 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister and several of her colleagues have mentioned the losses at Port Talbot. Let me remin...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c244 (Link to this contribution)
I believe that Tata has been sharing its business plans with the unions. There is anxiety about t...; Trudy Harrison | 744 c244 (Link to this contribution)
There is much talk about blast furnaces. May I remind the House that a blast furnace simply will ...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 cc244-5 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is a staunch champion of her constituency and she highlights the lack of any sort ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 744 c245 (Link to this contribution)
I very much recognise the case that the Minister makes for Tata’s investment in the UK, but will ...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 cc245-6 (Link to this contribution)
That is just another performative politics intervention—[Interruption.] No, those are completely ...; Robert Goodwill | 744 c246 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making valid points. We have no domestic iron ore mining or, at the moment, dom...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 cc246-7 (Link to this contribution)
That is the honest conversation that we have to have in this House and with the public. We have a...; Stephen Crabb | 744 c247 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister is making an important point about having an honest conversation, part of which is a...; Nusrat Ghani | 744 c247 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely, and that is why we have the transition board. We have made money available to ensure ...; 744 c247 (Link to this contribution); Nigel Evans | 744 cc247-8 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I ask everybody to resume their seats. This is a time-limited debate and we do not have mu...; Marion Fellows | 744 cc248-250 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I almost want to repeat the speech that I have given on steel for t...; Holly Mumby-Croft | 744 c250 (Link to this contribution)
The news from Tata Steel is extremely concerning, and it leaves Scunthorpe as the last place in t...; Andrew Percy | 744 c250 (Link to this contribution)
Is it not then clear that, given what my hon. Friend has said, it is vital that the Government ne...; Holly Mumby-Croft | 744 c250 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend, who knows a great deal about steel, is absolutely right. We need to remember that...; John Hayes | 744 c250 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The more that we make in this country—the more food we grow; ...; Holly Mumby-Croft | 744 cc250-1 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is correct. Put simply, unless we are going to stop using virgin steel in th...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 cc251-2 (Link to this contribution)
The Port Talbot steelworks is the beating heart of our community. Generation after generation hav...; Alun Cairns | 744 c252 (Link to this contribution)
There is no question but that this is an extremely worrying time for families in Port Talbot and ...; John Hayes | 744 c252 (Link to this contribution)
I take my right hon. Friend’s point about commerciality, but the truth is that we can and should ...; Alun Cairns | 744 c253 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend makes an extremely important point, and I strongly agree with him. That is t...; Liam Byrne | 744 cc253-4 (Link to this contribution)
I add my voice to the chorus asking the Minister to rethink the strategy and this deal comprehens...; Jessica Morden | 744 c254 (Link to this contribution)
That was a brilliant contribution from the Chair of the Business and Trade Committee.
This ...; Nick Smith | 744 c254 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is a great champion for steelmaking in Llanwern. Does she agree that the negative ...; Jessica Morden | 744 c255 (Link to this contribution)
Indeed, last week’s announcement was devastating for Port Talbot, for the people from Newport who...; Khalid Mahmood | 744 cc255-6 (Link to this contribution)
I declare an interest as a member of Unite, and totally support the union’s plan to move forward....; 744 c256 (Link to this contribution); Nigel Evans | 744 c256 (Link to this contribution)
Order. If people could shave about half a minute off their speeches, we will be able to get every...; Nia Griffith | 744 cc256-7 (Link to this contribution)
It is both tragic and shocking that we are faced with the potential closure of the last blast fur...; Nigel Evans | 744 c257 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Could Members shave time off their speeches, otherwise not everybody will get in?
6....; Jamie Stone | 744 cc257-8 (Link to this contribution)
Mr Deputy Speaker, you may be wondering why on earth the Member for the northernmost mainland con...; Nigel Evans | 744 c258 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you very much.
6.32 pm; Liz Saville Roberts | 744 cc258-9 (Link to this contribution)
Steel is a strategically important industry for Wales and for the entire UK. It is vital in suppo...; Nigel Evans | 744 c259 (Link to this contribution)
I am afraid that time is up; I do apologise.
6.35 pm; Stephen Doughty | 744 cc259-260 (Link to this contribution)
First, I declare my interests as a member of the GMB and the all-party parliamentary group for st...; Richard Thomson | 744 cc260-1 (Link to this contribution)
First, I express my concerns on behalf of the 2,800 workers at Port Talbot who will lose their jo...; Nigel Evans | 744 c261 (Link to this contribution)
To resume her seat no later than 6.44 pm, I call Ruth Jones.
6.41 pm; Ruth Jones | 744 cc261-2 (Link to this contribution)
It is good to participate in this debate, but it is not good to recognise the thousands of job lo...; Nigel Evans | 744 c262 (Link to this contribution)
To start the wind-ups, I call the Opposition spokesperson.
6.43 pm; Sarah Jones | 744 c262 (Link to this contribution)
This has been a powerful debate, reflecting the huge strength of feeling in this place, but also ...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c262 (Link to this contribution)
On jobs, my hon. Friend will have seen that every steel industry across the G20 and around the pl...; Sarah Jones | 744 cc262-3 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He made a brilliant speech earlier and has been a great defen...; Alun Cairns | 744 c263 (Link to this contribution)
I did not have an opportunity to develop this in my speech, but would the hon. Lady and the Labou...; Sarah Jones | 744 cc263-4 (Link to this contribution)
The Labour party would support an industrial strategy, which would have myriad plans that would l...; David TC Davies | 744 c264 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Lady and all those who took part in the debate. I say very clearly that I comple...; Khalid Mahmood | 744 c264 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c264 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; David TC Davies | 744 cc264-5 (Link to this contribution)
Let me make a little progress, as I only have about six minutes and I think Members will want me ...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c265 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for giving way. Yes, it is a Tata decision, but £500 million of Br...; David TC Davies | 744 c265 (Link to this contribution)
It came down to this: the Government had to find a solution that was acceptable to Tata and that ...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c265 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; David TC Davies | 744 c265 (Link to this contribution)
I will give way to the hon. Gentleman in a moment, because he knows more about this than many who...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c265 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for giving way again; he is being generous. I think there are many...; David TC Davies | 744 cc265-6 (Link to this contribution)
I understand the hon. Gentleman’s position and he is right to stand up for his workers. This is t...; Stephen Kinnock | 744 c266 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; David TC Davies | 744 c266 (Link to this contribution)
May I just continue, because I have only three minutes left?
I want to say something about ...; Alun Cairns | 744 c266 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is making an extremely powerful and factual case, rather than some of the wi...; David TC Davies | 744 c266 (Link to this contribution)
The Welsh Government have made it clear that they are not able at the moment to put in the sort o...; Holly Mumby-Croft | 744 c266 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; David TC Davies | 744 c267 (Link to this contribution)
I think I had better keep going because I have one minute left.
On defence, none of the ste...; Alan Campbell | 744 c267 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; David TC Davies | 744 c267 (Link to this contribution)
I know my time is up, but the plan that Labour Members have waved around has not been put to Tata...; Alan Campbell | 744 c267 (Link to this contribution)
claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).
Question put forthwith, That the Quest...
Subjects: Closures Climate change Capital investment Iron and steel Manufacturing industries Pollution control Redundancy Port Talbot Tata Steel
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Protecting Steel in the UK

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