Scunthorpe steelworks timeline: How did it get to this point?

The proposed closures cover its two coke blast furnaces and wider steelmaking operations, and a reduction in its steel rolling mill capacity. The consultation includes the option to make the closures in early June, and up to 2,700 jobs could be directly affected.

It comes after talks between British Steel’s owners, Jingye Group, and the Government over a support package for the company collapsed. The Government made a support offer thought to be worth £500m on Monday, and Jingye has not accepted.

The consultation announcement is the latest period of uncertainty that has hung over the future of the steelworks. To explain how it got to this point beyond the immediate context, the LDRS has put together below a timeline of key events.

1859 – Iron ore discovered in the Scunthorpe.

1890 – Steel manufacturing started.

1954 – The two coke blast furnaces that run today were established.

1967-1988 Steelworks consolidated under the nationalised British Steel Corporation (BSC), before privatisation returns.

Spring 2016 – Greybull Capital buys Scunthorpe steelworks from Tata Steel Europe for a nominal £1. Resulting business renamed British Steel.

May 2019 – British Steel enters liquidation, putting at risk the entire Scunthorpe steelworks site.

November 2019 – Chinese Jingye Group agree in principle to buy British Steel.

March 2020 – Jingye’s takeover is completed. 400 workers are let go. Jingye pledge £1.2bn investment.

Autumn 2022 – Sky News reports Jingye financial aid request to Government. Blast furnaces unlikely to be viable and ‘threat of thousands of redundancies’ at Scunthorpe site, if request not met. Talks with Government continue on from this point.

February 2, 2023 – British Steel confirms talks with unions about cost cutting. Soaring energy prices and carbon and labour costs cited – energy bills British Steel say rose by £120m in 2022.

February 22 – British Steel announces planned closure of coke ovens at Scunthorpe, with loss of up to 260 jobs.

April 5 – British Steel announces all staff affected by coke ovens closure will be offered alternative roles.

November 6 – First announcement by British Steel of plans to close blast furnace facilities. To decarbonise and secure a long-term sustainable future, it would switch to two electric arc furnaces (EAFs), one in Scunthorpe and one in Teesside. British Steel give £1.25bn investment figure for transformation and it now seeks Government support package in this context.

Unions fear loss of up to 2,000 jobs, with EAFs requiring fewer workers than blast furnaces. EAFs produce from recycled steel, while blast furnaces can make from raw materials virgin, or primary, steel.

On the same day, North Lincolnshire Council announces plans with British Steel to develop an advanced manufacturing park on 300 acres of disused steel land that could eventually create up to 3,000 jobs. The council has continued this ambition since.

April 30, 2024 – At a North Lincolnshire Council special planning meeting, permission is provisionally granted to build the EAF, subject to a decommissioning timeframe for the blast furnaces. British Steel’s representatives state an EAF will require fewer jobs, but say to keep its market share, it has to make progress on decarbonising.

It is stated the blast furnaces will run in Scunthorpe until the EAF is operating. Planning documents indicate EAF would take around 22 months to build. In the following days, British Steel’s CEO says Government support is “crucial”.

August 27 – Media reports closure of the blast furnaces will be brought forward to before Christmas. British Steel spokesperson says “no final decisions have been made”. Talks with Government continue.

November – British Steel spokesperson confirms blast furnaces will keep open “into the New Year”. A new £10m rail stocking facility also opens at the Scunthorpe site.

January 6, 2025 – British Steel confirms with the LDRS it is still buying the raw material to continue iron and steelmaking in Scunthorpe.

That same week, new advisory board called the Steel Council is formed. Made up of unions and companies, including British Steel, it is to advise new Labour Government on how to spend promised £2.5bn to steel industry.

January 14 – Reports plans for an EAF in Teesside have been scrapped and both of British Steel’s EAFs would be in Scunthorpe. British Steel spokesperson says “no final decision”.

February – The three steelworkers’ unions – Community, Unite and GMB – produce plan prepared by independent steel consultants Syndex to keep blast furnaces running until the EAFs are fully operational. Unions say Jingye ‘warmed’ to the plans, but major barrier is needing Government relief from carbon costs.

March 12 – US President Trump slaps 25 per cent tariffs, or taxes, on all steel imports, including from the UK.

March 24 – Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds writes to Jingye with Government support package offer, thought to be worth £500m.

March 27, 2025 – British Steel announces consultation to close its blast furnaces and wider steelmaking operation in Scunthorpe potentially by early June.

It confirms no deal reached with the Government. The Government says the offer remains on the table. Industry Minister Sarah Jones MP does not rule out nationalisation when asked by Brigg and Immingham MP Martin Vickers.

March 28 – The assistant general secretary of Community calls on the Government to nationalise British Steel, if a support package deal cannot be reached.

March 29 – Daily Telegraph suggests Mr Reynolds is considering use of a terror law to rapidly nationalise British Steel, if it is necessary.

April 1 – North Lincolnshire Council special meeting: a joint motion is unanimously agreed by Conservative and Labour councillors. It commits the council to “work with British Steel to protect jobs”, and adds further weight to nationalisation as last resort calls.