The Business Secretary pushes ahead with efforts to safeguard
British Steel. Today [Tuesday 15 April] he will travel up to
Immingham as the raw materials that have been waiting in the dock
are unloaded and transported to the site, following the
government settling payment for them.
The materials – which have arrived from the US – are enough to
keep the Blast Furnaces running for the coming weeks, with
officials continuing to work at pace to get a steady pipeline of
materials to keep the fire burning.
A separate ship which contains yet more coking coal and iron ore
is back on the way to the UK from Australia. This cargo was the
subject of a legal dispute between British Steel and Jingye over
the weekend that has now been resolved. The materials have been
paid for using existing DBT budgets.
New legislation passed last weekend, in an unprecedented move,
gives Government the power to direct the company's board and
workforce, ensure they get paid, and order the raw materials to
keep the blast furnaces running. It also permits the Government
to do these things itself if needed. The government acted to
protect 37,000 jobs in supply chains and ensure we can build the
infrastructure needed to deliver growth which is fundamental to
the Plan for Change.
On Monday, Business and Trade Secretary confirmed the appointment
of Allan Bell as interim Chief Executive Officer, and Lisa
Coulson as interim Chief Commercial Officer, both with immediate
effect – ensuring the right expertise is in place to keep the
site running smoothly.
After intensive work over the weekend, the government has secured
coke and iron ore pellets for the blast furnaces and is confident
there will be enough materials to keep the furnaces burning.
Business and Trade Secretary said:
“We will always act in the interest of working people and UK
industry. Thanks to the work of those at British Steel, and in my
department, we have moved decisively to secure the raw materials
we need to help save British Steel.
“Our industries depend on UK steel and – thanks to our Plan for
Change – demand is set to shoot up: helping build the 1.5 million
homes, railways, schools and hospitals we need to usher in a
decade of national renewal.”
