The Shadow Levelling Up Secretary has urged the Government to negotiate a deal with British Steel's owners rather than pursuing nationalisation.Speaking to GB News, Kevin Hollinrake emphasised the importance of maintaining UK steel production capacity, particularly at the Scunthorpe plant.FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00Well, I take it very clearly, and I believe the opposition's take is,
00:04that we want to retain primary steelworking capacity and capability within the UK.
00:10And that means the remaining plant we have that can do that is Scunthorpe.
00:14So we do not want to see that plant closed.
00:18I think in a negotiation, it's important to have options.
00:22So clearly, British Steel is negotiating in its own interests,
00:25and it's looking for a lot of money from government, from the taxpayer.
00:29Yeah, up to a billion pounds.
00:31So clearly, those negotiations have to continue, and we wish the government well with it.
00:37Although I'm not sure their business experience really means they're particularly capable of such a negotiation.
00:42But nevertheless, we hope they're successful.
00:45We'd much rather a deal be struck with the current owners or with another private sector owner rather than the government's owners.
00:51But could that tie into this whole argument that's coming Rachel Reeve's way about levelling up?
00:57Sorry, about buying British and about, you know, supporting our own industries, which she doesn't seem keen on.
01:05Where do you stand on that?
01:06Well, I'm at a loss in any logic of this government, actually, because on one hand, you've got Keir Starmer saying globalisation is at an end, which I don't agree with at all.
01:19What we should be doing is working harder with other foreign partners who aren't applying tariffs right now and clearly still negotiating with President Trump.
01:27But when you've got these kind of situations, of course, you should be supporting domestic manufacturing as well and domestic economy as well.
01:35But what you see in this government, actually, is making life very difficult for domestic production by whacking it with £25 billion a year in taxes.
01:42There's no logic.
01:43There's no joined up thinking.
01:44But I think, listen, when in opposition and now in opposition, the Labour Party was very clear that they would protect and preserve virgin steelmaking capacity within the UK.
01:59That's Gunthorpe.
02:01It's already overseeing the close of Port Albert, their primary steelmaking capability.
02:06We need that steel for our defence, for our infrastructure, all those things.
02:11So it cannot let this last plan go.
02:15It's already reneged on some of its promises.
02:18So the negotiations, we hope, will be successful.
02:22But all our options are going to remain on the table.