God. Remember when Britain was actually known for making things? Those days are hanging by a thread, and I'm watching this slow-motion car crash with a mixture of fascination and horror.
Our PM is doing that political dance again. You know the one - where they don't actually commit to anything while pretending they're considering everything.
Keir Starmer (flanked by Rachel Reeves looking suitably concerned in her navy power suit) refused to explicitly rule out nationalizing British Steel's Scunthorpe site yesterday. Standing amid the gleaming robots at some Birmingham car factory, he gave us the classic "all options are on teh table" line. Translation: we haven't decided what the hell to do yet.
When Farage and Tories Beg Labour to Nationalize Something...
In what feels like some bizarre political Twilight Zone episode, Nigel Farage's Reform party and Conservative MPs are practically begging Labour to embrace nationalization. I nearly spit out my coffee when I read that. Sir Julian Lewis actually said the government "should not waste the opportunity to have parties of the right urging a party of the left to nationalise." What universe is this?
But they've got a point.
If those furnaces close, we become the only G7 nation that can't produce virgin steel. Let that sink in. The country that practically invented the modern steel industry won't be able to make its own. My granddad (worked 40 years in Sheffield steel) would be rolling in his grave.
The Chinese Ownership Nightmare
Meanwhile, Jingye (the Chinese owners) are showing exactly zero loyalty to British workers. They're reportedly dropping £20 million on a rail steel mill back in China and trying to convince British workers to relocate there. Seriously? Who's going to uproot their entire family to move to China for a steel job?
Unions say they've already cancelled orders for iron ore and coal.
That means those furnaces could go cold as soon as May. Once a blast furnace cools, it's basically game over - the cost to restart is astronomical.
What's Jonathan Reynolds doing with his time?
The Business Secretary is apparently "weighing up laws" to forcibly take control. Listen. I spoke to someone at BEIS last week (won't name names, but they're close to the situation), and they told me Reynolds is genuinely torn. Taking over means billions in potential costs, but letting it die means 2,700 jobs gone and a strategic industry wiped out.
Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice told The Sun: "The Government must adopt Reform's policy to nationalise British Steel. This will secure thousands of jobs and provide a platform for growth."
When Reform UK sounds like they're channeling 1970s Labour, you know we're in strange times.
The Security Question Nobody Wants to Answer
Here's what keeps me up at night. If we can't make our own steel, what happens during the next global crisis? The pandemic showed us what happens when supply chains collapse. Imagine needing steel for military equipment or critical infrastructure and being completely dependent on imports.
Business Minister Sarah Jones insists the closure is "far from a done deal" - but I've heard that kind of optimistic government speak before. Back in 2018, I covered the SSI steelworks closure in Redcar. Same reassurances, same outcome: closure.
I feel stupid now for believing it would be different.
The Last Chance Saloon
Scunthorpe is basically Britain's last chance to maintain sovereign steel-making capability. Once those furnaces go cold, that's it. Game over.
The workers there deserve better than political hesitation. My cousin's husband works in the supply chain for that plant - 15 years now. Their whole community revolves around steel.
What happens to places like Scunthorpe when their economic heart gets ripped out? I've seen it before... ghost towns where hope evaporates along with the jobs.
Starmer needs to make a decision. And fast.
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https://hellofaread.com/politics/immigration-curbs-hit-the-skids-again-as-cabinet-cant-stop-squabbling
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