Why steel industry matters more than ever to South Yorkshire and UK: Jayne Dowle

So why does the government seem so squeamish about paying this industry the attention it deserves, especially in our stand-alone post-Brexit economy?

I suspect distaste because the steel industry’s manufacturing processes do not sit happily with the government’s pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, a lack of interest in engaging with new ways to make steel now will be no excuse when the last UK plant shuts down its furnaces for good.

We will become increasingly reliant on imports and the goodwill of the producing countries.

We only have to look at the mess that the energy industry is in - and rising energy costs impact the steel industry hugely - to see where this will take us. Entirely beholden to shadowy and often belligerent overseas governments who will use their powerful resources as a weapon.

Contributors to The Yorkshire Post’s letters page have recently been discussing how, in the face of current global uncertainty, a responsible government should do all in its power to make our steel manufacturing industry self-sufficient.

Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, would no doubt say that there’s a £600m government rescue package on the table for Chinese-owned British Steel and Indian-owned Tata Steel to help fund the switch from coal power and invest in lower-emissions technology, and that should be enough.

Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, home to the Tata Steel’s Port Talbot steelworks, calls the promise of this cash, “just… another sticking plaster for an industry that needs a level playing field in order to compete internationally in the long term.”

Indeed, talk to anyone actively involved in the UK steel industry and they will agree. Tossing sums of money is all very well, but there is little evidence of political will. As Alun Davies, National Officer of steelworkers’ union Community, says: “The Government may have made an offer, but they must commit to doing what it takes to reach agreement with the companies. For too long… we have watched our government sit on its hands while our European competitors enjoy extensive support with energy costs and for decarbonisation. This cannot continue if we want to retain a steel industry in this country.”

This refusal by the government to get stuck in comes in the face of steel company Liberty, owner of major Yorkshire steel sites in Stocksbridge and Rotherham, announcing plans to cut 440 jobs nationally - including 185 in Rotherham - due to challenging market conditions.

As Ms Champion says, the government has never understood the importance of our steel industry or made any effort to develop its enormous potential. There are simple steps that could tackle this, she argues; buy British steel for government projects, provide competitive energy costs and address punitive business rates.

My dad, who worked at Stocksbridge for 40 years, from the age of 15, would agree about the absolute need to invest in this powerhouse of an industry that has brought economic growth to Yorkshire for centuries.

And so would dad’s former colleagues, the hundreds of men and women currently employed, their families and the local businesses which in Stocksbridge alone, rely on the presence of ‘The Fox in the Valley’, founded in the 1850s by industrialist Samuel Fox, who made umbrella and crinoline frames, to keep their town alive.

For as long as I can remember, back to the early 1980s, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought in Scots-born American businessman and metallurgist Sir Ian MacGregor (who later wielded the axe to the coal industry) to run the British Steel Corporation, there has been uncertainty in the industry.

It’s more than 40 years ago now and I’m no sentimentalist. We live in very different times, far harsher - with stagnant wages, zero hours contracts and many workers not even in a union.

And yet, steel stands out. Rishi Sunak should realise that we have an asset thoroughly deserving of investment in carbon capture technology, specialist skills and highly-trained workforces, and put his mouth where his money is.

Our Prime Minister has the opportunity here to create a true backbone of Great Britain, a legacy with the potential to go even further than any Brexit deal he can broker.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​