Thu, 03 Apr 2025

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 British Steel could decide to shut Scunthorpe plant in days

British Steel's owner has cancelled coal and iron ore shipments to the Scunthorpe plant.

* Decisions within next few days will determine Scunthorpe plant's fate
* Jingye has cancelled coal shipments and not paid for iron ore, forcing blast furnace shutdown in weeks
* 2,700 jobs at risk as British Steel considers closing two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe
* Trade unions accuse Jingye of deliberately undermining talks to save the plant by withholding supplies
* Nationalisation is being considered by government to save UK steel-making industry
* Government has offered £500m loan to British Steel, which was rejected by company
* Growing calls for nationalisation as North Lincolnshire Council votes in favour and Conservative MPs back public ownership
* Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says he's "strongly committed" to UK having a steel industry but declines to comment on nationalisation reports.
  >>