Judith at a recent visit to Barrett Steel in Bradford South
Judith has welcomed discussion in Parliament on the future of the UK steel industry.
Overseeing Business Questions in the Commons on Thursday in her role as Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Judith presided over an Urgent Question from Martin Vickers MP (Briggs and Immingham), urging the government to consider the future of steel manufacturing in the UK.
Responding, Minister for Industry Sarah Jones MP said the government ‘had a clear forward direction on steel’:
“Steel has been a priority since our first day in office. We are standing by our commitment to spend £2.5bn to rebuild the steel industry. This funding will harness public and private investment to secure jobs and boost growth. We will take action to improve the wider business environment for the sector including reducing energy bills, and enabling more green UK-made steel to be used in our infrastructure projects. Decarbonisation must not mean de-industrialisation.”
Earlier this year, Judith visited Bradford-based Barret Steel, the United Kingdom’s largest independent steel stockholder and supplier, to discuss many of the key issues the UK steel industry. This included the impact of plans to transition to greener Electric Arc Furnaces, rising energy costs in steel production and transport, and the ongoing work to decarbonise many parts of the industry.
New Electric Arc Furnaces are able to manufacture high quality steel for a wide range of uses while producing a fraction of the greenhouse emissions as traditional coke-fired furnaces. However, they rely on competitive industrial energy prices, and renewable energy sources, to sustainably meet net zero targets.
Commenting afterwards, Judith said: “A thriving UK steel industry is not just vital for the tens of thousands of jobs it sustains directly and in the wider supply chain. The United Kingdom’s ability to effectively manufacture and utilise good quality steel with less dependency on foreign production is also an essential component of our national security. I welcome discussion to secure the future of the industry in the United Kingdom.”
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