Chester FC will visit Scunthorpe United in the Vanarama National League North Promotion Final on Sunday 18th May Kick off at the Attis Arena has been confirmed for 4pm The Seals will receive an allocation of approximately 1,500 tickets Further details on this will be confirmed in due course are a community benefit society operating under the name of Chester Football Club and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority The club is fan owned and does not have any major shareholders BUY YOUR MATCH DAY TICKETS HERE 🎟️ At Hope & Glory Sportswear we provide three measurements for all our garments (see illustrations above) Actual chest width: This is the the measurement across the front of the shirt from just underneath the armpit when laid flat Actual chest size: This refers to the actual measurement around the garment just underneath the armpit itself when worn – not your chest size Chest to fit size: This refers to the size of the shirt wearers chest Measuring Your Ideal “Actual Chest Width”.Find one of your existing t shirts or football shirts that know fits as you like and measure it from armpit to armpit This is what we refer to as the ‘actual chest width’ of our garments How to Measure Your Chest.To measure your chest size run a fabric tape measure under your arms and fit it around the fullest part of your chest It’s important to have the tape measure parallel to the ground sagging or twisted which distorts the measurement.Take note of the measurement at the point where the tape crosses Men.If you want your shirt to be a tight fit then you should select the actual garment chest size that would be 5cm (2″) bigger than your chest size If you want your shirt to be a loose fit then you should select the actual garment chest size that would be 10cm (4″) bigger than your chest size PRO-FIT Men.Our Pro-Fit shirts are designed to be a “slim fit” garment They are much slimmer fitting in all areas Ladies.Our ladies shirts are all shaped for a ‘ladies fit’ – this means they taper slightly around you mid section to give a comfortable fit around the chest We advise you select the actual garment chest size that is 8cm (3″) bigger than your chest size All ladies differ – the fit will vary depending on your preference Junior.We advise juniors select the actual garment chest size that is around 8-10cm(3-4″) bigger than the child’s chest size for a comfortable fit For any further questions please contact us A defiant display from Andy Preece's Chorley side wasn't enough on Saturday afternoon as a clinical Scunthorpe United came out 4-2 winners at the Attis Arena The Magpies got off to the worst possible start falling behind early when Danny Whitehall pounced on a fortunate deflection off Mike Calveley to fire the hosts ahead from close range Kole Hall scrambled the ball over the line at the back post following an Adam Blakeman corner with both sides pressing aggressively and forcing turnovers Whitehall grabbed his second of the afternoon The Iron’s momentum continued shortly after as Callum Roberts extended the lead with a composed finish that left goalkeeper Matt Urwin no chance Chorley came out with renewed intent in the second-half But Scunthorpe delivered a hammer blow on the counter; former Chorley man Carlton Ubaezuonu produced a dazzling solo goal to make it 4-1 Kole Hall netted his second and his side’s with 12 minutes remaining giving the visitors hope and setting up a tense finale Andy Butler’s Scunthorpe side held firm under pressure seeing out the win to book their place in the final against either Kidderminster Harriers or Chester Luke Broughton presents his gallery from the Iron's 4-2 play-off semi-final victory over Chorley at the Attis Arena we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Scunthorpe United can confirm the Early Bird pricing structure for our season tickets for 2025-26 has been extended following the club's decision to close the ticket office until Thursday following the Iron's progression to the play-off final the Early Bird pricing structure will now cease on Friday giving supporters chance to purchase theirs at the best price irrespective of what division we will be playing in Get behind the Iron in 2025-26 and get the very best price on supporting your club in our next campaign with season tickets now on sale at the Early Bird price There’s no better time to show your unwavering support for the team as we look ahead to another incredible season and we want YOU to be a part of the action every step of the way It's an entire season of unforgettable moments from last-minute winners to electric atmospheres here at the Attis Arena you’re not just a fan; you’re a part of the Iron family standing side-by-side with thousands of passionate supporters This isn’t just about the matches you’ll attend; it’s about the sense of belonging Every season ticket purchased represents a commitment to Scunthorpe United a pledge to be there through thick and thin you’ll experience the highs and lows of a season like no other we’re offering Early Bird prices for the 2025-26 season which means you can secure your seat (or space on the Britcon Stand) at the lowest price possible irrespective of which division we will play in next season But hurry – these exclusive prices won’t last forever This is your chance to grab a deal that guarantees you’ll be there for every goal Our 2025-26 season ticket offering represents the best possible value to support the club during the upcoming campaign with an adult seated price below £300 for only the fourth time in over two decades representing a cost of just £12.83 per game Our best possible Early Bird price for the upcoming campaign will be in operation until 4pm on Friday 2025 when we will move onto an Advance pricing structure As a family orientated club which was awarded the EFL Family Excellence Gold Award in 2018 2019 and 2022 and has attained the Family Excellence Award since 2009-10 the club are continuing the Under-12s go free offer which is also available for Under-18s in the Lincolnshire Co-op Family Zone (maximum two per paying adult/senior concession) Secure your season ticket today at the best price and ensure you’re there for every exhilarating moment next season Let’s make 2025-26 a year to remember; together Purchase your season ticket today and lock in your spot for an unforgettable journey Blue zone car park holders in the West Car Park can renew their space for the 2025-26 season immediately. and we’re offering you the chance to guarantee another season of stress-free you know the value of parking in a prime location Renewals are now open for existing car park holders Don’t wait – secure your parking spot for the 2025-26 season today and continue to enjoy all the benefits of exclusive which is not available on a match-by-match basis the car park will cost £140 for the whole season and guarantees parking in our blue zone for all 23 home league games plus complimentary parking for any pre-season friendlies cup competitions or play-off games involving the Iron as well the card merchant will not permit us to take season ticket payments by credit or debit card This also applies to online season ticket purchases. Season tickets may be purchased via the Ticket Office in cash or by direct bank transfer Bank account details will be provided upon request along with a brand-new unique reference number that will be used to identify the season ticket holder You can contact the ticket office by calling 01724 747670 or by emailing sufctickets@scunthorpe-united.co.uk.Please be advised this only applies to season tickets all other matchday tickets can be purchased using a card as normal Further donations to Scunthorpe United can play a critical role in helping the club achieve sustainability in several key ways including financial stability and infrastructural development and we were humbled that a number of supporters wished to add a donated fee to their season ticket value last season as a donation to the club Want to support the Iron further? Supporters will have the opportunity to round-up their season ticket transaction to help the club even further or add a donation to their purchase Just speak to a member of staff if you wish to contribute the Iron is pleased to confirm that an in-house finance option will be offered for supporters wishing to split their payments between now and the start of the season Further information can be found by clicking here. Season ticket seats from the 2024-25 season will be reserved until July 31st Seats not renewed by this point will be available on general sale. Ticket enquiries or questions can be directed to sufctickets@scunthorpe-united.co.uk, or by calling 01724 747670, and we will come back to you as soon as we can Confirmation of the age brackets and relevant dates for the 2025-26 season.. ADULT: Between the age of 22 and 64 on September 1st 202518-21: Between the age of 18 and 21 on September 1st 2025U18: Between the age of 12 and 17 on September 1st 2025U12: 11 and under on September 1st Want to be the first to know about exciting club updates, matchday news, exclusive offers, and behind-the-scenes content? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a moment of the action you’ll receive all the latest news straight to your inbox from upcoming fixtures and player interviews to special promotions and exclusive fan events It’s the perfect way to stay in the loop and keep your connection to the Iron stronger than ever The Iron will meet either Chester or Kidderminster after ruthlessly dispatching Chorley They won 4-2 after a fantastic first half an hour put them in cruise control Danny Whitehall had the Iron in front minutes in but the reaction was emphatic - Kole Hall levelled minutes later for Chorley before Whitehall added another and Callum Roberts got the third to turn the tie It was all over when Carlton Ubaezuonu made it 4-1 before Hall gave Chorley hope but there wasn’t to be a grandstand recovery Boreham Wood are into the National League South final after a backs-to-the-wall win at Torquay United Luke Garrard’s team are one win away from an instant National League return after quite the shift at Plainmoor Matt Rush got the winner on the hour mark - and either Eastbourne Borough or Maidstone United await next Pitch Hero Ltd Registered in ENGLAND | WF3 1DR | Company Number - 636 1033 It was home play-off action this afternoon for the Iron who welcomed quarter-final winners Chorley FC to the Attis Arena for what was predicted to be an intense clash on Scunthorpe’s home turf To get to this semi-final stage Chorley defeated King’s Lynn Town in midweek thanks to a goal from defender Mark Ellis this victory earned them a trip to a fresh Iron who came into the fixture on the back of a week of preparation There was to be just one change made to the Iron’s side who defeated Hereford last weekend as manager Andy Butler opted to grant Danny Whitehall a starting role as he returned from a sickness bug that kept him out of last week’s action Whitehall replaced inform Irishman Carlton Ubaezuonu who dropped to the bench along with six other Scunthorpe substitutes as the usual limit was increased for the fixture due to competition rules After a remarkable pre-match atmosphere that set the tone for proceedings the game was set underway with both teams looking nervy in the early exchanges Despite the tension around the stadium throughout the early exchanges the home support wouldn’t be made to wait long for the opening goal of the game when United flooded forward with serious attacking intent When Cal Roberts and Alfie Beestin linked up down the right-flank the space would open up for Beestin to whip a floated cross towards the back post the cross was dangerous and would bounce Infront of Chorley defender Adam Blakeman appearing to hit the full-backs hand referee Dean Watson allowed play to continue which allowed Whitehall to get a touch on the loose ball steering it past the Chorley goalkeeper and into the net for 1-0 Most had predicted that an early goal would be a decider in this fixture in the build-up but this wasn’t to be the case as within a matter of minutes the scores would be levelled up by the visitors The Magpies are renowned for their set-piece ability and would prove it once again when their first one of the day resulted in the equaliser it was a dangerous ball to the back post that found the goal scorer Kole Hall who nodded the ball beyond Ross Fitzsimons Following the leveller the Iron would get back to basics and begin to control proceedings After controlling the ball for some time possession would make its way from right to left as a direct switch of play was misjudged by Adam Henley and allowed Tyler Denton to run in behind the Chorley defence From a wide-angle Denton would look to smash a volley on target that appeared to be soaring into the top corner until it landed in the side netting much to scrambling goalkeeper Matt Urwin’s relief This would act as a warning shot from United who would come forward again in clinical fashion with 22 minutes on the clock One goal for the afternoon wouldn’t be enough for Whitehall who would double his tally with a composed finish from inside the area It was Roberts the provider as he somehow beat the Magpies offside trap before chopping inside to tee up the forward and Whitehall was never in doubt to mark his return with a goal With the score at 2-1 a third goal to give Butler’s boys the cushion they deserved was to be crucial and the dream would soon become a reality when Beestin’s winding run from off the left-flank allowed him to drive into the penalty area With his head raised to pick the perfect pass the versatile forward would spot the disguised run of Roberts in the area and when the ball eventually found him Roberts would apply a fantastic finish by steering the ball beyond Urwin and into the bottom corner This would be the final action of the first period and despite the two-goal advantage there was nerves around the stadium with the possibility of a play-off final with touching reach To begin the second-half the Magpies goal was clear as day with Andy Preece’s side flooding forward looking for a route back into the game after George Horbury’s early chance flew wide of the target from the edge of the area the Iron did a perfect job of keeping Chorley out with a brilliant physical display The game would remain without any major chances until the 67th minute the next goal was to be massive for the outcome of the remainder of the game and it would be United who found it through substitute Carlton Ubaezuonu After receiving the ball on the half-way line with his back to goal Ubaezuonu turned his marker and set off on a surging run towards the Chorley penalty area Once he'd made it inside his oppositions box he would chop the ball onto his stronger left-foot and produced a sensational strike into the bottom corner to strengthen Scunthorpe’s lead Chorley were in desperate search of a goal to give them hope and after several attempts that failed to bring them joy they would finally find a second in the scrappiest of fashions After substitute Mo Touray’s strike was well saved by Fitzsimons from almost point-blank range a scramble would ensue with both teams desperate for two different outcomes the Bermudan forward Hall would find himself with an inch of room and helped the ball home to reduce the deficit With the lead reduced to just two goals Scunthorpe could’ve crumbled under the pressure although they are a side with unquestionable character and went about reducing Chorley to minimal chances perfectly Although the defending became desperate at times United would stand firm right up until the final whistle and would eventually be granted their passage to the play-off final after a special performance from a special Scunthorpe team First team manager speaks following his side's 4-2 win over Chorley which sees the Iron move into the play-off final the Attis Arena will be closed until Thursday Taking into consideration Bank Holiday Monday and the fact the stadium is already closed on a Wednesday we're giving our staff behind the scenes a well-earned rest following their hard work and dedication in the build-up to today's semi-final We anticipate ticket details for the play-off final to be confirmed in the middle part of the week and as a result are taking the opportunity to give the team in the office a breather ahead of our final game of the season We would like to thank all supporters for their support and understanding and look forward to seeing you at the Attis Arena for the final on May 18th Scunthorpe United can confirm that midfielder Luke Williams has departed with the club agreeing to cancel his contact in order for him to rejoin Icelandic second division side Ungmennafélagið Víkingur Williams rejoined the Iron in the November of 2024 on non-contract terms following a successful trail period with the club the 31-year-old would go on to make 10 National League North appearances but ultimately struggled to gain minutes Williams was formerly captain of Víkingur and joins the club ahead of their season starting this weekend The attacking midfielder will be hoping to rediscover his form that he experienced in recent years while in Iceland and we wish him the very best for the future Extended match highlights from DAZN from today's 4-2 win over Chorley as the Iron progress to the final of the play-offs Scunthorpe United would like to remind supporters the importance of their conduct when we host Chorley on Saturday Following an extensive investigation by the Football Association the Iron was charged with misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E21 in respect of the match It was alleged that Scunthorpe United failed to ensure that spectators and/or its supporters (and anyone purporting to be its supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion whilst attending the match it was alleged that Iron supporters behaved in a way which is improper threatening and/or provocative contrary to FA Rules E21.1; and/or encroach on to the pitch or commit any form of pitch incursion The club admitted the charge and provided a detailed statement in mitigation Having considered the club’s extensive submission the FA imposed a fine of £2,000 and warned the club over its future conduct that it is an offence to enter the field of play and the use of pyrotechnics and the throwing of objects can all result in the club being charged and can also cause serious injury to spectators around you Co-owner and chair Michelle Harness said: "From the Board I would like to thank all supporters who have conducted themselves impeccably at the Attis Arena The messages we as a club have put out have resonated with you all and the lack of misconduct here has been commendable to not only you but everyone working behind the scenes to identify individuals who have previously caused harm “While we are massively looking forward to play-off semi-final encounter against Chorley looking forward to seeing the Attis Arena almost full in the home end and anticipating a brilliant atmosphere and occasion once more we are very mindful that one piece of misconduct can cause us hours and hours of resources to provide our observations evidence and defence to prevent or mitigate the charges to be imposed on the club - and ultimately cost us money too following the charge which was brandished by the Football Association an individual received a football banning order as a result of his actions during a fixture - don't let it be you this season." we are urging all supporters to travel to the Attis Arena and enter the stadium in plenty of time when we face Chorley on Saturday There will be a larger than usual crowd at the Attis Arena as we look for another bumper crowd on home soil. The turnstiles will be open from 1.30pm We also entertainment outside the venue ahead of the game which includes a DJ set and an external bar with the urge for supporters to arrive at a turnstile earlier to ensure you get in prior to kick-off although we endeavour to get all supporters into the ground as quickly and safely as possible there could be some delays close to kick-off as the crowd begins to grow We are advising early entry to the venue if possible Attacking midfielder Alfie Beestin looks ahead to the Iron's massive semi-final encounter with Chorley FC PM’s spokesperson says ships carrying materials needed by the steel plant have docked in Lincolnshire The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We are now confident in securing the supply of materials needed Obviously we will be working with the management to identify further raw materials needed to keep a steady pipeline “I’m not going to get ahead of what comes next but we’ll obviously now work on the issues of ownership.” The spokesperson added there are two ships carrying materials docked at Immingham port in North Lincolnshire with “a third ship which is currently en route off the coast of Africa The spokesperson would not say whether money had been exchanged for the materials and said they would reach the plant in the “coming days” Downing Street also attempted to play down claims that there had been deliberate “sabotage” of steel-making efforts at the plant we’re not aware of any deliberate acts of sabotage But as the business secretary and the industry minister said over the weekend [during] the talks that we were engaging with the Chinese owners [it] became clear that they wanted to shut the blast furnaces That wasn’t an outcome that we wanted to see They had decided not to order more raw materials Earlier China’s foreign ministry warned the UK not to “politicise” trade cooperation or “link it to security issues” in order “not to impact the confidence of Chinese enterprises in going to the UK.” The government remains “confident” it will secure the supply of materials needed to keep blast furnaces burning at the Scunthorpe steel plant Two ships carrying materials are docked at Immingham port in North Lincolnshire China responded to the British government stepping in to take control of Chinese-owned British Steel at the weekend by telling the UK not to “politicise” the process with the Chinese embassy calling for “fairness” Treasury minister James Murray criticised previous Conservative governments for their approaches to relations with China saying that the current Labour administration needed to be “cool-headed clear-eyed and pragmatic” in its dealings with the country as there were significant economic implications British Steel has announced the appointment of Allan Bell as interim CEO and Lisa Coulson as interim chief commercial officer with immediate effect. The move has been welcomed by the largest steelworkers’ union Bin workers have “overwhelmingly” rejected a deal that would have ended an all-out strike in Birmingham during which bin bags have piled up in the streets Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch was in the city today campaigning for May’s local elections in some regions of England A court has ruled Steve Bray’s anti-Tory and anti-Brexit protest featuring The Muppet Show and Darth Vader themes played loudly outside parliament was a lawful expression of his views The government has said it was “deeply concerning” that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week. Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse claims her apparent presence on secret list of critics of country’s human rights record made her a target John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has signalled this year’s Scottish spending and legislative programme will be rewritten to cope with the economic “turbulence” triggered by Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade wars The way police responded to the 2024 summer riots was “entirely appropriate”, a parliamentary report has found MPs considered accusations that the riots were policed more strongly than previous protests but said that claims of “two-tier policing” were “baseless” A £1.5m fund has been launched to encourage people affected by the Windrush scandal to come forward to seek compensation 14 Apr 202516.36 CESTJessica MurrayOur social affairs correspondent Jessica Murray has this report on the vote to reject a deal that end the Birmingham bin strike Bin workers have “overwhelmingly” rejected a deal that would have ended an all-out strike in Birmingham, during which bin bags have piled up in the streets and the city has faced an influx of rats. Negotiations between the council and Unite, representing the striking workers, have stalled for months, and refuse workers have been on indefinite strike since 11 March. On Monday, workers were balloted on a “partial deal on pay protection for a few”, according to the Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham. Workers voted overwhelmingly to reject the deal, the union said. “The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision,” said Graham. “The government must now call a meeting with the stakeholders to ensure these steps are taken to bring the strike to an end. The government must now also urgently consider Unite’s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham city council and other local authorities. Workers and communities cannot continue to pay the price.” we’ve deployed a couple of army logistics to help with the logistical operation of clearing up the rubbish We’ve got over two-thirds of the rubbish cleared off the streets now this week we’ll start to see cleaning up the pavements and streets as well as the clearance of all of that rubbish Unite said the deal would have included “substantial” pay cuts for workers and did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For weeks, these workers have faced attacks from government and their employer pushing the lie that only a handful of workers are affected by the council’s plans to cut pay by up to £8,000. “Instead of peddling untruths about these low paid workers and focusing on winning a media war, the government should have taken the time to check facts and used its office to bring the council to the table in a meaningful way. “The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision.” 14 Apr 202516.07 CESTHelena HortonOur environment reporter Helena Horton has this on how rightwing media talking points falsely portray net zero and clean energy as a villain in the British Steel crisis: Ed Miliband and the UK’s net zero target are being falsely blamed for the UK’s steel crisis Some parliamentarians and media commentators placed the blame for Britain’s declining steel industry on the energy secretary, claiming that his net zero policies and lack of support for a proposed coalmine in Cumbria have made the energy and coking coal used to make steel more expensive said: “No one is more responsible for this than the energy secretary and the prime minister who appointed him.” But experts have said this characterisation is completely false. Prof Rob Gross, the director of the UK Energy Research Centre said: “The clean power mission can actually help save the steel industry “High energy prices in the UK undoubtedly play a role in the problems faced by steelmakers But high energy prices are absolutely not created by net zero policies Britain is acutely exposed to fluctuations in gas prices and the gas price also drives UK electricity prices more than in other countries “Britain’s amazing wind resources offer the potential for cheap We need to build the infrastructure of clean power so we can have cheap power for decades The drive for clean energy also creates a large demand for steel Read more from Helena Horton here: Rightwing media falsely blame Ed Miliband for UK steel crisis, experts say The Community union said it welcomed the appointments of Allan Bell as chief executive and Lisa Coulson as chief commercial officer, after a near-total breakdown in relations between workers and British Steel’s Chinese owners, Jingye. Assistant general secretary Alasdair McDiarmid added “We have enjoyed a constructive relationship with Allan and Lisa in their previous roles, and we know that they will fulfil the government’s ambition of maintaining reliable and professional leadership on site. The focus now must be on securing the continued operation of the blast furnaces and delivering a brighter future for British Steel.” Jingye remains the owner of British Steel, but ministers have acknowledged that full nationalisation remains an option. Many people in the industry expect it to be the next step, as Jingye’s has proven unwilling to invest. In an earlier statement, Bell said “Our immediate priorities are securing the raw materials we need to continue blast furnace operations, ensuring we have the dedicated personnel to run those furnaces, and maintaining the highest levels of health and safety for our workforce.” I’m standing in a park in Birmingham that should be full of children playing This is not what life is supposed to be like This is what Labour run Birmingham looks like and the people here are suffering because of Labour incompetence We need to do better for our local residents That’s why I’m telling people to vote Conservative for better services The local elections [in some regions of England] are coming up And if you don’t want your community to end up like this one In the video residents are seen complaining about council tax rises and the closures of local libraries Kemi goes to Birmingham to investigate the rat-infested trash piles plaguing local residents.What she found was shocking 👇pic.twitter.com/qTbCPkvtPJ The Conservative party have also claimed on social media that “the rubbish piling up on Birmingham streets now weighs as much as two Eiffel Towers” although it isn’t entirely clear how they have calculated that Keir Starmer’s social media output has also been in campaigning mode although in his case he is aiming to champion success in government policy on the NHS in England The prime minister’s message in the last couple of minutes was: Over three million more appointments delivered. Over 1,500 new GPs recruited. Over 100,000 more people treated on time. Over 80% of patients having cancer ruled out or diagnosed within 28 days. Waiting lists down for the sixth month in a row. Our plan for change is working. 14 Apr 202515.29 CESTMy colleagues Kiran Stacey and Jasper Jolly have this full report on the latest developments with British Steel in Scunthorpe. PA Media reports that speaking to reporters on Monday the Hampstead and Highgate Labour MP said: “no one from the Bangladeshi authorities has contacted me The entire time they’ve done trial by media “My lawyers proactively wrote to the Bangladeshi authorities I’m sure you’ll understand I can’t dignify this politically motivated smear campaign It’s a completely politically motivated smear campaign trying to harass me – there is no evidence that I’ve done anything wrong.” Yesterday it was reported An arrest warrant for the former City minister Tulip Siddiq has been issued in Bangladesh with a new allegation accusing her of illegally receiving a plot of land from Hasina. Bangladeshi media reported the warrant was issued by a judge for 53 people connected to Hasina, including Siddiq. There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Bangladesh. 14 Apr 202514.49 CESTScotland must not be an “afterthought” for the UK government as he called for the Grangemouth refinery to be nationalised Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the first minister said: “If British Steel is to be nationalised to protect it, then so too should Grangemouth. I’m determined to make sure that Scotland is not viewed as an afterthought.” Owners Petroineos announced plans to shutter the Grangemouth refinery last year and it was confirmed in recent weeks that 377 workers have accepted voluntary redundancy, with a further 28 compulsory redundancies. PA Media quotes a Petroineos spokesperson saying: “If governments had wanted to seriously consider different ownership models, the time to start that work was five years ago when we first alerted them to the challenges at the refinery. We have also been clear throughout about the fundamental operational challenges and the scale of losses incurred.” During his visit to mainland China and Hong Kong, minister for trade policy and economic security Douglas Alexander relayed our immediate and deep concern regarding MP Wera Hobhouse’s denial of entry into Hong Kong. Minister Alexander raised our concerns and demanded an explanation with senior Chinese and Hong Kong interlocutors, including Hong Kong’s chief secretary for administration, to understand why the Hong Kong authorities refused access to a British MP. It is deeply concerning that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week. Unjustified restrictions on the freedom of movement for UK citizens into Hong Kong only serves to further undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation and the important people-people connections between the UK and Hong Kong. As the foreign secretary has made clear and Minister Alexander relayed in person, it would be unacceptable for any MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views. PA Media reports the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: The residents of Birmingham are our first and foremost priority That’s why we’ve provided a number of staff to support the council to help get the streets cleaned up and address the public health risks This includes coordinating the local response with local authorities and opening household waste centres to Birmingham residents and a handful of office-based military personnel are supporting operational planning and have made themselves available to the council to support we are now urging Unite to suspend its action and accept the offer that is on the table Downing Street said there “no plans” to bring in frontline personnel and claimed that more than 100 vehicles had left depots on Monday morning Earlier the Conservative party attempted to use the issue as part of their campaign for the local elections taking place in some parts of England on 1 May. In a message posted to social media, the party said “Labour have lost control of Britain’s second city. Now Keir Starmer is being forced to call in the ARMY to bail out his failing Labour-run council.” Earlier this year, when proposing its budget, Cllr John Cotton, leader of Birmingham city council, said “Birmingham city council is facing a number of financial challenges. Our situation has been made much worse by a national crisis in local government finance.” “A combination of austerity and underfunding – Birmingham has lost over £1bn in funding since 2011 – added to a rising demand for services and inflation mean that, across the country local authorities are facing some of the biggest budget challenges in living memory.” The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We are now confident in securing the supply of materials needed. Obviously we will be working with the management to identify further raw materials needed to keep a steady pipeline, and to keep the furnaces burning. “I’m not going to get ahead of what comes next, but we’ll obviously now work on the issues of ownership.” The spokesperson added there are two ships carrying materials docked at Immingham port in North Lincolnshire, with “a third ship which is currently en route off the coast of Africa, which will be making its way to the UK”. The spokesperson would not say whether money had been exchanged for the materials, and said they would reach the plant in the “coming days”. Downing Street also attempted to play down claims that there had been deliberate “sabotage” of steel-making efforts at the plant, saying: No, we’re not aware of any deliberate acts of sabotage. But as the business secretary and the industry minister said over the weekend, [during] the talks that we were engaging with the Chinese owners [it] became clear that they wanted to shut the blast furnaces. That wasn’t an outcome that we wanted to see. They had decided not to order more raw materials. Labour’s intervention to try to save the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe has been contrasted with its actions over Port Talbot GMB national secretary Andy Prendergast has told the PA news agency that the comparison with latter was “not entirely” fair adding that the Westminster government had been “willing to take the bull by the horns” to keep the Scunthorpe plant going Asked whether it was “unfair” of the government to take control of the works in Scunthorpe but not in Port Talbot Prendergast said: “The difficulty is it’s not entirely a fair comparison largely on the basis of the majority of stuff that under Port Talbot happened under the previous government.” they [the Conservatives] oversaw our steel industry shrink to half the size it was I think the steps being taken in Port Talbot were belated but welcome by the current government but I think it’s a little bit of an unfair comparison This [Scunthorpe] was our last blast furnace and we have a different government at the wheel and we’re thankful that we actually have one willing to take the bull by the horns and actually do something which was notably lacking under the last government Torsten Bell, who has been MP for Swansea West since the last election, just issued the following statement via social media: The Conservatives spent 14 years neglecting crucial decisions on the future of UK steelmaking The new government was not able to reopen the deal with Tata but it did renegotiate a better deal – in just 10 weeks Labour’s deal secured the immediate future of steelmaking in Port Talbot It laid the groundwork for long-term investment And it guaranteed enhanced protections for every Tata employee in Wales Unlike the Tories – who announced £80 million to support Port Talbot’s transition but didn’t actually spend a penny – Labour has already delivered that full sum with funds dedicated to retraining workers creating new jobs and supporting local suppliers Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts described the decision to seize control of the British Steel operation in Scunthorpe as a “bitter day for the people of Port Talbot”. She said: People in south Wales have been loyally voting for Labour for decades. Does this Labour government therefore feel proud that those votes have been paid back by Tory-style deindustrialisation in Port Talbot? Plaid Cymru has consistently called for nationalisation, but the Labour first minister of Wales rejected our calls. Ministers are considering deploying the Royal Navy to escort a vital fuel shipment to Scunthorpe's steelworks following yesterday's landmark takeover. The move would ensure what's said to be a cargo of coking coal reaches the UK without being intercepted or redirected - as without fresh supplies, the furnaces would burn out and be nearly impossible to restart. The location and details of the cargo remain unclear - but reports suggest it may be coking coal, which is vital to keeping the furnaces running. Without securing fresh supplies, the furnaces at Britain's only source of virgin steel would be forced to close. Ministers are considering deploying the Royal Navy to escort a vital fuel shipment to Scunthorpe's steelworks The Ministry of Defence said no decision had yet been taken on the Navy's involvement - nor have Ministers filed a formal request. But it comes as a separate shipment of coking coal is currently sitting at Immingham port on the Humber Estuary, with no sign of unloading. The Times reports that British Steel owners Jingye attempted to sell the shipment to an unnamed Chinese firm, which would have starved the Scunthorpe works of crucial fuel. The Government was then forced to intervene, with police securing the shipment. That came as MPs and peers were recalled to Parliament for a rare Saturday sitting - the first since the Queen's death in 2022 - and pushed the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill through both Houses in a matter of hours. Saturday saw chaotic scenes at the steelworks as workers rallied against its closure The emergency legislation empowers Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to direct British Steel's board and staff, and allows him to enter company premises "using force if necessary". The Government was forced to act after negotiations with Jingye broke down - with Reynolds telling Parliament that the firm had demanded "hundreds of millions of pounds" beyond the Government's offer. The company also refused to accept conditions preventing fund transfers to China or ensuring blast furnaces were maintained. Reynolds said it became clear Jingye intended to cancel orders for raw materials and would have "irrevocably and unilaterally closed down" Scunthorpe without intervention. Them, Saturday saw chaotic scenes at the steelworks as workers rallied against its closure. A delegation of "six to eight" Jingye executives gained access despite having their security passes revoked before barricading themselves in a room. "There was a lot of screaming and shouting," one company source said. Jonathan Reynolds warned that letting British Steel collapse would have been more expensive than stepping in Workers then called Humberside Police to deal with the fracas, forcing the Chinese delegation to "beat a hasty retreat". Back in Westminster, Reynolds presented the takeover as a temporary measure - though he noted nationalisation may be "the likely option" long-term. Even the Conservatives backed the Labour move - meanwhile, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice urged Reynolds to nationalise British Steel at once, telling him to "show your cojones, show some mettle". Reynolds later told Sky News that letting British Steel collapse would have been more expensive than stepping in. "The losses, the annual losses, net losses, in the last set of accounts were £233million," he warned, and said its complete collapse would cost "easily over £1billion" for the government to "remediate the land" and "look after the workforce". Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Dozens of businesses have rallied to help British Steel with offers of managerial support and raw materials I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Government officials and British Steel staff are in a desperate race to save its blast furnaces after what ministers believe was a plot to sabotage the Scunthorpe plant by its Chinese owners A crucial meeting is scheduled for Monday between the firm’s staff and civil servants aimed at rescuing Britain’s last primary steelmaking plant from permanent closure The government dramatically took control of the company on Saturday kicking off a frantic hunt for the securing essential raw materials needed to keep the two blast furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant operational Once the furnaces are turned off it is practically impossible to bring them back online and officials believe British Steel’s Chinese owner Jingye had been planning to let the raw materials run out in a bid to sabotage the plant shuttering the blast furnaces and making the UK reliant on Chinese exports of so-called virgin steel executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China warned: “It is an explicit strategy of the Chinese Communist Party to undermine the industrial base of foreign countries.” On Sunday, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Chinese firms should be barred from investing in some sectors, including those vital to national security and key infrastructure. “I wouldn’t personally bring a Chinese company into our steel sector,” he added, noting that British Steel fell into Chinese hands under Boris Johnson. Downing Street on Monday denied being aware of any "sabotage attempts" at the Scunthorpe steelworks. Mr Reynolds was unable to guarantee the furnaces could be saved, but said taking over the plant had given the government “a chance” to save it. Treasury minister James Murray on Monday said Jingye had behaved “irresponsibly” and “accelerated” the crisis officials are now trying to avoid. He said civil servants on the site are trying urgently to get raw materials to the Scunthorpe steelworks to keep the blast furnaces running. Mr Murray confirmed the materials needed at the British Steel works were in the UK, and that government staff had been at the plant in North Lincolnshire since Saturday. Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Murray said: "Their role is to make sure we do everything we can to make sure we get those raw materials to the blast furnaces in time and to make sure they continue operating." He refused to guarantee the furnaces will continue running, claiming the plant's Chinese owners, Jingye, had "accelerated" the shut down of one furnace. He said: "The raw materials, the shipments have arrived, they're in the UK, they're nearby. There were questions about getting them into the blast furnaces, that is what the officials are focused on right now." He added: "We know that the Government needed to do everything possible on Saturday to protect the future of steelmaking in the UK. "We're not just going to step aside and let the industry fail with the blast furnaces closing. We've been negotiating in good faith with Jingye but when it became clear they were accelerating the plans to close the blast furnaces, we had to step in." Dozens of businesses, including Tata and Rainham Steel, have rallied to help British Steel with offers of managerial support and raw materials following the Government’s takeover. Mr Reynolds said: “When I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it. “That’s why we’ve passed these new powers to save British Steel at Scunthorpe, and that’s why my team are already hard at work on the ground to keep jobs going and furnaces burning.” Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB union national officer, said she is "wholly reassured" that the coking coal bound for the furnaces at Scunthorpe will be "paid for and unloaded over the next couple of days" at Immingham Bulk Terminal as part of efforts to avert the permanent shutdown of Britain's last primary steelmaking plant. She told BBC Breakfast: "I spoke to British Steel late yesterday evening and was wholly reassured, actually. "I've (been) told that the coke that's at Immingham Bulk Terminal will be paid for and unloaded over the next couple of days and that Government are working at pace to secure the rest of the raw materials that are currently on the ocean." And the national secretary of GMB said he is "hopeful" that materials needed to keep furnaces at the Scunthorpe steel plant burning will be delivered in the next 48 hours. Andy Prendergast said: "Where we are at the moment is that we're confident that the deal being done with the raw materials, and the steps being taken will get there on time, and ultimately that has the potential to preserve the future for the plant. "There still needs to be... a deal to be done for the future. Whether that's our preference - which is nationalisation of what is a key national asset - or whether that's a genuine private investor who's willing to come in and put the money. "I think for us the key thing is that we keep this plant going and keep virgin steel-making capacity in the UK." The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government is "confident" it will secure the supply of materials needed to keep blast furnaces burning at the Scunthorpe steel plant. Jingye, British Steel’s Chinese owners, had not only stopped ordering raw materials but had begun selling off existing supplies, sparking concerns the plant could close within days. Officials from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), along with British Steel staff, will spend Monday working to bring nearby materials on to the site, as well as ensuring staff continue to be paid, the department said. The offers of support from other businesses also mean that British Steel is reassessing its options. This includes possibly reversing Jingye’s decision to take one of the blast furnaces temporarily offline as early as Monday using a “salamander tap”, a procedure said to be dangerous. It came as the business secretary approved the appointment of two long-standing employees to run the business on an interim basis. Allan Bell, currently chief commercial officer, will take over as chief executive, and current marketing director Lisa Coulson will fill his role. The pair have worked at British Steel for 14 and 19 years respectively and were instrumental in keeping operations running under Jingye’s ownership. Mr Bell said: “Our sole focus is ensuring a secure and sustainable future for British Steel’s production in Scunthorpe. “Our immediate priorities are securing the raw materials we need to continue blast furnace operations, ensuring we have the dedicated personnel to run those furnaces, and maintaining the highest levels of health and safety for our workforce.” Ministers remain hopeful that a private investor can be found for British Steel, with the cost of modernising the Scunthorpe plant expected to run into billions of pounds. But over the weekend, Mr Reynolds admitted that full nationalisation remained the most likely option in the short term. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics"},{"score":0.734963,"label":"/society/work"},{"score":0.732433,"label":"/business and industrial/business operations/business plans"},{"score":0.68559,"label":"/society/work/unemployment"},{"score":0.68416,"label":"/business and industrial/war industry"},{"score":0.671731,"label":"/finance/financial news"},{"score":0.628543,"label":"/law Business secretary says plant may need ‘different employment footprint’ after government takeover of site The business secretary has refused to rule out redundancies at the Scunthorpe steelworks despite calls from trade unions to end the programme of job losses started by its former owners Jonathan Reynolds said on Tuesday the plant might need to have a “different employment footprint” after the government’s takeover even as he promised to try to save the plant’s two blast furnaces Reynolds was speaking during a visit to Immingham docks to oversee coal and iron ore being unloaded on its way to the Scunthorpe plant. The government took control of the plant after finding out its Chinese owner was attempting to sell the supplies and hasten the closure of the furnaces “What we need for the long-term future of British Steel is that private sector partner to work with us as a government on a transformation programme,” Reynolds said that might have a different employment footprint He added: “These blast furnaces have given this country nearly a century of service in one case uncontrolled shutdown of the blast furnaces with thousands of job losses and no plan in place for the future working with the brilliant team here at British Steel is secure the possibility of that better future – and I for one am confident that we’ve made the right decision to support the people here.” Reynolds made his comments even as the GMB union called for an end to the formal redundancy programme, which British Steel began last year. Those plans could have meant the closure of both blast furnaces and more than half of the site’s 3,500 workers losing their jobs said: “We are expecting the immediate threat of redundancies to be taken off the table and we are looking to work with the secretary of state on planning the longer-term future for Scunthorpe and the steel making there.” Reynolds has the task both of securing immediate supplies to keep the furnaces running and looking for a longer-term bidder for the Scunthorpe site Ministers want to find a private sector company to help the government pay for a new electric furnace at the plant which forms the central part of British Steel’s £1.25bn decarbonisation plan Reynolds said over the weekend he would not “bring a Chinese company into our steel sector” again but on Tuesday he appeared to change his mind and refused to rule out the possibility that a Chinese company could take over the site once more “I think you would look at a Chinese firm in a different way but I’m really keen to stress the action we’ve taken here was to step in because it was one specific company that I thought wasn’t acting in the UK’s national interest and we had to take the action we did,” he said Reynolds’ change of tone comes amid a broader push by the UK government to limit the political fallout from the crisis surrounding British Steel the business secretary refused to rule out the possibility that Jingye’s actions might have been part of a deliberate act of sabotage to undermine the British steel industry officials and ministers were insisting that was not the case saying they believed the company had been acting purely out of commercial considerations The government’s push to secure Chinese investment in British infrastructure has begun to alarm some senior figures within Labour Liam Byrne, the chair of the business select committee, told the Guardian this week: “We must now be fiercely vigilant about just who is granted the keys to the industries and infrastructure that keep our nation moving.” Firm in race against time to get key materials as business secretary says no guarantee it will get what it needs British Steel is to deploy emergency measures in a race against time to save the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe as the business secretary refused to guarantee the plant could get what it needed in time The company is understood to be looking at offers of help from more than a dozen businesses to obtain materials such as iron ore and coking coal potentially allowing it to avoid the temporary shutdown of one of the two furnaces it might be neglect,” Reynolds told the BBC on Sunday “The conscious decision not just to not order raw materials but to sell existing supplies of raw materials is the significant change that required the government to step in.” Reynolds said there would not be a full ban on Chinese investment in UK industry with MPs raising questions about whether companies would be allowed to invest in a planned new nuclear site has been on a charm offensive with Beijing to try to attract investment the Guardian revealed the government could target parts of China’s security apparatus under new foreign influence rules to be announced in the coming months China as a whole is not expected to be included on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme Reynolds said the costs to the UK economy of closing the plant and losing the country’s steelmaking capacity – plus the significant job losses it entailed – would have been at least £1bn more than the losses expected from nationalising the plant A decision on full nationalisation is expected to be taken in the next fortnight if the plant can continue operation Reynolds told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg he would not “make [his] situation or the nation’s situation more difficult” by giving further details on whether the steel blast furnaces would be able to continue operating they could go through an uncontrolled cooling making it prohibitively expensive to restart production MPs were recalled to parliament at the weekend over the nationalisation of British Steel Photograph: Carlos Jasso/ReutersSpeaking on Monday morning the Treasury minister James Murray said the government was “doing everything we can” to get the necessary raw materials to the site in time “There’s a process of getting it into the blast furnaces There’s a slight limit on what I can say because of commercial decisions being taken but we’re doing everything we can to get that coal into the blast furnaces to make sure that the operations continue.” Asked if he could guarantee that the furnaces would stay on he said: “I can categorically say that we as a government are doing everything we can to make sure they continue.” Jingye ordered British Steel to temporarily shut down one blast furnace on Monday in order to eke out remaining materials the process – known as a salamander tap – is complicated and generally avoided unless repairs are needed British Steel managers are looking at whether this can be avoided While some materials at Immingham port on the Humber estuary in Lincolnshire are awaiting payment, British Steel is trying to find materials for the coming weeks, with some shipments taking up to 45 days to arrive. Read moreJingye, which bought British Steel in 2019 – when Boris Johnson was prime minister – had stopped ordering more raw materials and begun selling off its supplies declining an offer of £500m in support and refusing to guarantee the furnaces could continue operating “It became clear to me and to the government no financial offer of any generosity would have been accepted,” Reynolds said “This was the situation on [Thursday] 10 April on the Friday we had agreement from the cabinet Steelworkers and members of Unite union march to Scunthorpe United football ground on Saturday Photograph: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty ImagesOfficials from the Department for Business and Trade arrived at the Scunthorpe plant as soon as the legislation came into force on Saturday The business secretary told Sky News there was a “high trust bar” for bringing Chinese investment into the UK and said he would not have allowed a Chinese company to invest in the “sensitive” steel sector Reynolds said the company had annual losses of £233m and that figure “can be improved upon” But he said the cost of nationalisation had to be compared with the cost of allowing the plant to go under He said it would not mean any further borrowing to nationalise the plant “We’ve got an allocation in the first budget for a steel fund of over £2.5bn “If we are spending some of that money to support I think that’s better for the taxpayer than spending a greater sum of money on a transition with a company I’m not sure right now I could rely on or to be frank … the complete collapse of British Steel with a cost to the exchequer of many multiples [of that] Reynolds said he would not make accusations of Chinese state interference but the company was “not [acting] in the kind of rational way we’d expect a company to operate in a market economy” accused Jingye of lying about the company’s accounts and said he was “100% certain” the Chinese government had ordered Jingye to buy British Steel in order to close the business Farage offered no evidence for those accusations and said it was based on his “intuition” “Why do you think that yesterday morning the trade unions acted to stop the Chinese officials even getting their cars into the plant Because they feared industrial sabotage,” Farage said confirmed workers had acted to stop the company gaining access “We were worried about industrial vandalism and there was a worry about sabotage on the site workers did prevent executives from the Chinese owners from going on site “I’m sure that people are still very worried about that but these people performed heroics yesterday to ensure that we’ve got a fighting chance for the steel industry in this country They were legitimately concerned about industrial sabotage.” This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here After receiving royal assent, it will become law at midnight Here’s a summary of the day’s developments: Proposals to save British Steel’s Scunthorpe blast furnaces have been approved by Parliament after an extraordinary sitting on Saturday Emergency legislation giving the government the power to instruct British Steel to keep the plant open passed both the Commons and Lords in a single day unopposed. The TUC has welcomed the move, describing it as “the right thing to do and it’s in the national interest”. Ministers had taken the unusual step of recalling Parliament from its Easter recess to sit on Saturday after negotiations with British Steel’s Chinese owners, Jingye, appeared to break down. Executives from Jingye were blocked from entering the Scunthorpe plant by workers and the police, sources confirmed to the Guardian. Workers feared Jingye executives might sabotage the works, according to a person briefed on events. Meanwhile, the prime minister met British Steel workers near Scunthorpe, telling them: “You and your colleagues for years have been the backbone of British Steel, and it’s really important that we recognise that” 12 Apr 202518.48 CESTThe government taking control of British Steel is “the right thing to do”, the TUC has said. Commenting on the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill passing, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: The government stepping in to take control of British Steel is the right thing to do and it’s in the national interest. It is right that Ministers do whatever it takes, including nationalisation, to secure the future of steel. Steel is a foundation industry. This move will help to safeguard thousands of jobs, protect our critical infrastructure and ensure we continue to produce steel here in the UK. Today’s announcement is the first step towards ensuring we can modernise and decarbonise steel-making in this country - reducing our reliance on foreign imports and ensuring we stay competitive on the global stage. But the government should not stop there. We need to ensure British steel is used in British infrastructure projects to boost local economies up and down the country. That’s how you protect steel workers’ jobs through the transition, and put UK steelmaking on a firm footing for the future. 12 Apr 202518.20 CEST Steel Industry bill passes through the LordsThe Steel Industry (Special Measures) has now passed through the House of Lords and is awaiting royal assent. 12 Apr 202518.16 CESTThe main proposed amendment in the Lords came from shadow business minister Lord Hunt of Wirral, who said the bill could hand over too much power to ministers. Lord Hunt said a so-called “sunset clause” needed to be introduced to time-limit powers. He proposed two amendments which would bring the powers to a close after a defined period. In this House we have a responsibility to ensure that legislation is not only properly scrutinised, not only properly debated, but also does not give unlimited powers to the executive without the checks and balances which are essential, which are largely portrayed through the working depth of this House, in particular. Lord Hunt said emergency Covid powers were subject to a time limiting, which provided a precedent. He said powers granted to the Government in the steel Bill should be no different. He quoted a report by the constitution committee which said: “Wherever possible sunset clauses should be incorporated into emergency legislation, particular in relation to legislation that impacts upon civil liberties. It is essential that power is available for the sake of the future of the Scunthorpe steelworks, yes, but should it be available in perpetuity? That is the key question which the chamber must now decide. 12 Apr 202518.07 CESTIn the Lords, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, a business and trade minister, is currently replying to the various amendments proposed by other peers. She asks that all amendments be withdrawn. 12 Apr 202518.01 CESTThe House of Lords is sitting again after a break, and according to reports, there are five amendments that have been tabled and need to be debated. 12 Apr 202517.39 CESTCommunities “pay the price” when foreign governments and private capital are “in charge” of steel and oil, a Labour MP has warned. Brian Leishman described “stunning similarities” between job losses at the Grangemouth oil refinery and negotiations affecting the Scunthorpe steelworks. Asked whether he agreed with business secretary Jonathan Reynolds that they are not “comparable”, Leishman told the PA news agency that he would “contest this”. In so many different industrial examples that we’ve had over the last sort-of 40 years, when private capital and/or foreign governments are in charge of key pieces of vital infrastructure, then workers in communities and our national security pay the price. So, there’s stunning similarities really between what’s happening at Scunthorpe and Grangemouth. The Alloa and Grangemouth MP claimed Ineos and the Chinese state-owned PetroChina company which run the Petroineos refinery “are dictating Scotland’s energy and fuel security, and that’s not right”. Asked whether he would seek to table similar legislation to the steel industry (special measures) bill, Leishman replied: I’m basically doing what the prime minister [Keir Starmer] said we should all do as Labour party MPs in government, and that is to put constituency and country above party. My constituency and my country and all of Scotland rely on the Grangemouth oil refinery and it really should be saved. 12 Apr 202517.29 CESTCommenting on the steel industry (special measures) bill with regard to British Steel, Stephen Phipson, chief executive of trade body Make UK, said: Steel is the most used material in a modern economy so this is welcome and decisive action by the government. It shows a commitment to maintaining this vital strategic national asset, which will help safeguard many highly skilled jobs, and play a key role in maintaining our national security. However, the issue with regard to steel is a symptom of the significant problems with the UK’s approach to its industrial economy and government must now move as a matter of urgency to fix these for the long term. The first step must be the introduction of a wide ranging, modern industrial strategy which has national resilience in wider manufacturing sectors at its core, as well as the development of and, investment in, advanced manufacturing. This must include as a priority acting on the underlying factors critical to industries such as steel, in particular our uneconomic industrial energy costs which have placed the UK at a significant competitive disadvantage for some time. 12 Apr 202517.21 CESTDaniel LavelleFor the millions of people in the UK employed in industries where weekend working is the norm the X feeds of MPs in Westminster may be a little hard to stomach journalists regularly put in the hours while others are enjoying their weekends they rarely feel the need to take a selfie on the commute to prove it But hardworking parliamentarians, recalled to the Palace of Westminster for a rare Saturday session to debate the future of British Steel the Reform MP Richard Tice filmed himself marching across Lambeth Bridge on his way to the Commons criticising the Labour government’s slow reaction to the crisis and urged them to have some “mettle” and “completely” renationalise British Steel in the process “We urge the government to do the job properly and fully nationalise British Steel this weekend. Don’t do half a job,” Tice posted on X, adding: “This can be a great opportunity done well. Let’s go for it.” Anna Turley, the Labour MP for Redcar and a government whip, posted a video from a sunny train platform saying she would have been on the terraces cheering on her local football team Redcar Athletic if she hadn’t been heading into work. “If I wasn’t going down for this important vote, I would have been at Green Lane to support the mighty Steelmen who could win the league today!” Turley took the train down to the capital “for something that should have been done back in 2015 for the steelworkers and families of Redcar. So pleased to have a government that believes in steel and believes in our industrial future”. Sources have now confirmed to the Guardian that this was the case. Workers feared Jingye executives might sabotage the works, according to a person briefed on events. A union source confirmed that police were called this morning at about 8am after Jingye executives tried to enter the Scunthorpe plant. The executives left shortly after. Updated at 17.14 CEST12 Apr 202516.47 CESTStarmer meets British Steel workers on visit to ScunthorpeThe prime minister met British Steel workers near Scunthorpe shortly after the steel industry (special measures) bill passed the House of Commons unopposed You are the people who have kept this going You and your colleagues for years have been the backbone of British Steel and it’s really important that we recognise that to come straight up here to see you face to face to have that discussion with you Because this shouldn’t be a remove thing that’s happening down in Westminster it should be something that’s living and breathing Keir Starmer meets British Steel workers in Appleby village hall near Scunthorpe on Saturday Photograph: Peter Byrne/APThe PA news agency reports that the steelworkers thanked the prime minister for the government’s action Speaking outside Westminster, he said his message to the government was: Half a thank you for doing something. I was out with those Scunthorpe steelworkers on Tuesday. I bet the ‘Spoons’ tonight in Scunthorpe will be absolutely rammed. I wish I could go and join them again because they were so anxious and they are proud working people. So there’s half a thank you for that but frankly you can’t work with Jingye, you have got to nationalise it and try and plan a future. Saviours of the world! Suddenly we are now an industrial powerhouse! Well talk about leaving it a bit late. I was in Scunthorpe on Tuesday and it was pretty obvious when we came out. There were literally three working days left to save primary steel production in Britain. They’ve done it on a Saturday because they wanted it to be dramatic and they wanted to say ‘Look we’re the Labour party, we’re on the same side as workers’ and they are terrified of what the Reform vote is doing to the north-west, the north-east, areas like that. So that’s why they’ve done it. It’s just a sticking plaster. Frankly if Jingye, the Chinese owners, are bad faith actors, which I have believed them to be for five years, and today the business secretary said they are not acting in good faith, they should have just done the whole hog today, nationalised it and then tried to find a way of selling it on. Updated at 16.46 CEST12 Apr 202516.27 CESTLabour peer Prem Sikka said the government was trying to avoid explicitly saying it would nationalise British Steel, but said it should be the long-term outcome, reports the PA news agency. My lords, the minister said that the government seeks to take control of blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, without taking control of British Steel. It’s really trying to avoid the words nationalisation and public ownership, but that is really where we are heading. British Steel’s most recent accounts show falling turnover, increasingly losses and negative net worth. It is bankrupt and the compensation should be very little, if any. Steel is essential for civil and defence industries. In a world of trade wars, we need to be self sufficient. We need permanent public ownership of the steel industry. One of the reasons for the current crisis is that privatisation of essential industries has failed. The 1988 privatisation of steel by the Conservative government was completely divorced from any industrial strategy, need for jobs and self reliance. 12 Apr 202516.12 CESTHouse of Lords adjourned for an hour to allow peers to put forward bill amendmentsThe bill has received its second reading and the House of Lords has been adjourned for an hour to allow time for peers to put forward amendments. Emergency legislation arrived in the House of Lords after clearing the Commons earlier on Saturday. Updated at 16.15 CEST12 Apr 202516.07 CESTThe Conservatives said it was “deeply regrettable” MPs were unable to vote on amendments to the steel industry (special measures) bill. There was no time left for MPs to debate amendments tabled on Saturday, with the deputy speaker, Caroline Nokes, adding: Amendments which are not debated are not subsequently selected for separate decision. The shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Alex Burghart, on a point of order, said: It is obviously deeply regrettable that the government wasn’t prepared for the eventualities that it has faced. We know they weren’t because the bill wasn’t ready until 9.30am and an obvious omission from the bill is a sunset clause and many members here today have spoken in favour of a sunset clause and indeed ministers opposite have suggested they want this legislation to be time limited. Consequently it’s deeply regrettable that it sounds as though the house will not have an opportunity to vote on a sunset clause. The House of Lords will consider the bill on Saturday afternoon and any changes made to it by peers would then be sent to the House of Commons for MPs to consider. Updated at 16.17 CEST12 Apr 202516.05 CESTWhile the steel industry (special measures) bill is being debated in parliament a march to save British steel has taken place this afternoon in Scunthorpe Lin Jian says disagreement between Jingye and British government could deter Chinese investment in the UK China has urged the British government not to “politicise” the row over the Scunthorpe steel plant saying that doing so could deter Chinese companies from investing in the UK A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that Jingye, the Beijing-based owner of British Steel had acted as a commercial business when it tried to shut down the plant The ministry issued its warning after an unprecedented intervention from the British government, which has taken control of the site and is trying to secure enough supplies to keep its two blast furnaces in operation The Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson told a briefing in Beijing that the UK should “avoid politicising trade cooperation or linking it to security issues so as not to impact the confidence of Chinese enterprises in going to the UK” He added: “When it comes to the operational difficulties currently faced by British Steel the two sides should negotiate a solution on the basis of mutual benefit.” Lin Jian said he hoped the two parties could negotiate a solution ‘on the basis of mutual benefit’ Photograph: Andrés Martínez Casares/EPALin also said Beijing wanted the British government to “treat Chinese businesses that have invested and operate in the UK fairly and justly [and] protect their legitimate and lawful rights and interests” He added that the company was “a Chinese private enterprise that has undertaken cooperation with the British side based on market principles” Ministers have accused Jingye of acting in bad faith last week, as the company negotiated a bailout package with the government while also trying to sell shipments of raw materials that would have kept the plant open. refused to rule out the idea that Jingye’s actions could have been a deliberate act of sabotage against British steelmaking on Sunday – though he added it could have been a case of “neglect” Downing Street on Monday dismissed suggestions the company might have been motivated by a political desire from Beijing to damage Britain’s industrial base A spokesperson said: “We’re not aware of any deliberate acts of sabotage in the talks that we were engaging with the Chinese owners it became clear that they wanted to shut the blast furnaces “Obviously this relates to a commercial Chinese company No 10 also insisted it had robust processes in place to check Chinese investment in British infrastructure Those planned investments include the Bradwell B nuclear plant in Essex where Chinese General Nuclear Power remains a lead developer A Downing Street spokesperson said: “When it comes to critical national infrastructure we have rigorous processes and rules in place for managing our national security Particularly when it comes to investment in our energy sector those sorts of investments are subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny.” Ministers are in a race against time to keep Scunthorpe’s two blast furnaces operating, given that they will become impossible to restart should they run out of fuel and cool down too much The blast furnaces require materials including iron ore and coking coal One person briefed on the situation said the company had made payments for some materials that had been held at the nearby port of Immingham No 10 said on Monday that ministers were confident they had secured two shipments of iron ore and coking coal It said the shipments were docked 30 miles east of Scunthorpe and were expected to be delivered in the coming days Reynolds has also signed off on the decision to appoint two veterans of the Scunthorpe site to lead the company after the government’s takeover Allan Bell will become the interim chief executive and Lisa Coulson will be interim chief commercial officer A company source said: “These were the serious people that kept the place running.” Lisa Nandy says solution achievable amid fears furnaces are running out of options to secure raw materials Crisis talks between the government and the Chinese owner of British Steel have ended with no deal in place as the Scunthorpe plant races against time to secure the raw materials needed to keep its blast furnaces running The government said it was prepared to nationalise the company if necessary, although a cabinet minister said on Wednesday morning that a commercial solution, thought to include taxpayer-funded support, was “within sight”. Negotiations are expected to continue after the series of meetings in Scunthorpe on Wednesday afternoon involving government officials, Jingye and trades unions ended without a deal. One source familiar with the talks described them as “strained” and said the clock was ticking to reach a deal because of a raw material supply crunch. Read moreA second source said British Steel was running out of time to secure coking coal and iron pellets – crucial components of the steelmaking process – to maintain operations at the two furnaces A shipment of coking coal is due to arrive from Japan at the Immingham port on the Humber estuary on Thursday but the source said it was not clear whether Jingye was prepared to pay for it They said iron pellets had already come into dock but had not been fully paid for One option under consideration is to “bare tap” or “salamander tap” Queen Bess which involves reducing its operations to a minimum allowing Queen Anne to operate at full capacity until mid-May The company is preparing to idle one of the furnaces next week Jingye is thought to be asking for financial support from the government which is under increasing pressure as the time for ordering raw materials ebbs away Last night the BBC reported that the government had offered to buy the coking coal essential to continue steel production and was preparing a written offer for Jingye Jingye has already rejected a government offer of £500m in support to help convert its two blast furnaces which make “virgin steel” from raw materials in an energy-intensive process into greener electric arc furnaces that use scrap metal The Chinese company is thought to have demanded closer to £1bn in funding to go ahead with the plan Negotiations have been complicated by factors including Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on UK steel an industry already buckling under a storm of adverse conditions Another complication is that the UK government is entering into the discussions without having completed a review of the country’s steel strategy a significant part of which will be a verdict on whether the UK needs to make virgin steel Free daily newsletterGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning The government has refused to rule out nationalising the company which was privatised under Margaret Thatcher in 1988 with Keir Starmer saying on Tuesday that “all options remain on the table” The trade union Unite on Wednesday called for nationalisation given that British Steel’s output is crucial to large infrastructure projects and provides 98% of Network Rail’s train tracks The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said earlier in the day that a “commercial solution” was still possible, as the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds The two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe are the UK’s last, after two at the Port Talbot site in south Wales, owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata, went cold last year The UK would be the only G7 economy without the ability to make virgin steel if the Scunthorpe factory shuts down Once blast furnaces have stopped operating it is prohibitively expensive to start them up again told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that government intervention was the “only solution” The government has previously promised £2.5bn to help the steel sector officials pointed to the government’s “supercharger” scheme which they said would provide more than £300m to help the sector grapple with the highest energy costs of any steel sector in Europe Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “While Unite is in continuing dialogue with British Steel and the UK government we are very clear that if a deal cannot be struck to secure the long-term future of the steelmaker under private ownership that the government must bring it under public control in the national interest.” A joint statement from the Department for Business and Trade and British Steel said: “UK business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds and officials met with the CEOs of Jingye and British Steel earlier today for discussions on steelmaking in Scunthorpe “Both sides welcomed continued cooperation in talks to find a way forward The UK government thanked Jingye for their respect for the workforce during this process and work continues at pace to find a resolution.” PM tells MPs on the Commons liaison committee that ‘we are doing everything we can to ensure there is a bright future for Scunthorpe’ as report claims nationalisation being seriously consideredKeir Starmer has said all options should remain on the table for the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant – amid reports that the government is “seriously considering” nationalising the plant British Steel has launched a consultation on the proposed closure of blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant and the government has been talking to the company’s Chinese owner Jingye There have been calls for temporary nationalisation amid fears of thousands of job losses Asked about the Scunthorpe steelworks during his evidence to the liaison committee but all options are on the table in relation to Scunthorpe I think it’s really important and we’re in the middle of those discussions I don’t want to be unhelpful to the committee but as you can imagine these are ongoing discussions at the moment I can reassure the committee that we’re doing everything we can to ensure there is a bright future for Scunthorpe But as to precisely where we’ve got to in those talks I will very happily provide you with further details as soon as I can According to a Bloomberg story by Ailbhe Rea and Alex Wickham ministers are seriously considering nationalising the steelworks Trade unions have warned that Jingye has canceled orders for iron ore coking coal and other raw materials needed to make steel raising concerns the Scunthorpe plant could effectively close within days without the fuel to run it If the raw materials aren’t ordered this week the blast furnaces risk being permanently shuttered according to one person working in the industry Ministers are now examining putting in the order for the raw materials themselves to buy Scunthorpe time the people [familiar with the matter] said adding that the order could be made as soon as Wednesday Nationalization looks like the only viable option if Britain wants to prevent itself from becoming the only G7 economy without a virgin steel industry The Bloomberg report stresses that the nationalisation plans “haven’t been finalised and may not materialise” Reform UK has called for British Steel to be nationalised if necessary, and in the Commons yesterday at least one Conservative MP also backed this idea But Kemi Badenoch said today nationalisation “has got to be a last resort” Plaid Cymru said it would be a “betrayal” of Wales for the government to nationalise the Scunthorpe steelworks when it did not do the same for Port Talbot Plaid’s trade spokesperson Llinos Medi MP said: When Plaid Cymru called for the nationalisation of Port Talbot to safeguard Welsh steel as the UK Government considers nationalising British Steel in Scunthorpe Labour’s quiet acceptance of a Tory plan that cost 2,500 jobs in Port Talbot is nothing short of a betrayal Keir Starmer has said all options should remain on the table for the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant – amid reports that the government is “seriously considering” nationalising the plant. (See 3.34pm.) Rachel Reeves has declined to back calls for the UK government to launch a “buy British” campaign in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs, saying it would make Britain too “inward-looking”. Reeves stepped in to soothe stock market jitters today amid signs that the punishing global sell-off triggered by US trade tariffs was starting to ease. Hundreds of thousands of seriously ill and disabled people will become “invisible” and cut adrift from local support services as a result of the government’s £5bn programme of disability benefit cuts, experts have warned. Updated at 19.21 CEST8 Apr 202519.16 CESTStarmer admits digital services tax and Online Safety Act raised in trade talks with USAs Hugo Gye reports for the i during his evidence to the liaison committee Keir Starmer admitted that the digital services tax and the Online Safety Act were being discussed with the US as part of the trade deal talks In relation to trade talks, obviously there are questions about the appropriate way to tax digital services, etc. There are questions about how technology impacts free speech. I’ve been very clear in my view that we need to have arrangements for a digital tax of some sort, and equally we need to be pioneers of free speech which we have been for very many years in this country. But at the same time, we rightly protect under the Online Safety Act – further provisions of which are coming into force pretty quickly – and when it comes to paedophiles and protecting children, I take a pretty strong line that we take the necessary measures in order to do so. Ministers have played down the likelihood of concessions in these areas, saying the US tech companies will always have to pay a fair rate of tax and that basic protections under the Online Safety Act will not be removed. But they have not ruled any changes or reviews of these policies. Calum Miller, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson, said: Keir Starmer must commit to giving parliament a say over any future Trump trade deal, including any concessions over online safety and the tech tax. It would be immoral for Trump’s tech bro backers to be given tax breaks while children’s safety online is thrown under the bus. 8 Apr 202518.54 CESTWhy Starmer's criticism of OBR was unfairKeir Starmer may have confused the DWP’s assessment of the government’s welfare reforms with the OBR’s when he gave evidence to the Commons liaison committee But he was responding to a question an assessment saying that the changes would push 250,000 people into poverty and it did not take account of the likelihood that some of the people losing benefits will return to work – which might keep them out of poverty This was a point made repeatedly by Treasury ministers on the day of the spring statement Asked to comment on what Starmer said to the committee the OBR said it had nothing to add beyond what it said in its own report In the report the OBR admits that it has not estimated the impact of the welfare reforms on employment But it says that’s not because it did not want to; it is because the government did not suppy the information needed for that assessment to be possible While our fiscal forecast takes account of the direct fiscal costs of some of the welfare policies in the government’s Pathways to Work green paper and their indirect effects on aggregate demand we have not incorporated most of their supply-side impacts on the labour market This was due to insufficient information from the government on the policies announced and analysis of their likely economic effects We will incorporate our estimate of these impacts in our next forecast 8 Apr 202518.36 CESTSome of the earlier posts covering Keir Starmer’s evidence to the Commons liaison committee have now been beefed up with more direct quotes. But you may need to refresh the page to get them to show up. 8 Apr 202518.26 CESTFTSE 100 closes 2.71% up as global markets recover ground from Trump tariffs shockLondon’s FTSE 100 index climbed firmly higher as global markets recovered ground on hopes for potential trade deals between the US and other countries, PA Media reports. PA says: The index was up 2.71%, or 208.45 points, to 7,910.53 at the close of trading. In the US, the Dow Jones index was up 2.45%, while the S&P 500 finished 2.36% higher. 8 Apr 202518.09 CESTReport stage debate on assisted dying bill postponed for 3 weeks so MPs get more time to consider changesThe next debate on the assisted dying bill in the Commons chamber has been delayed by three weeks as the first private member’s bill debated this session it had been expected back in the Commons for its report stage on Friday 25 April – the first available slot But Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP sponsoring the bill has written to MPs saying the report stage debate will not take place until Friday 16 May I greatly appreciate the effort colleagues have made to keep the previously announced date free in their diaries but I have listened carefully to members on all sides of the issue who have told me that they would welcome more time to consider the amendments to the bill in committee to see the new version of the bill as a result of these important changes I have always said it is more important to do this work properly than to do it quickly which is why I ensured the committee had plenty of time to do its work and why I think it is now sensible to allow all MPs a few more weeks for their own consideration Only a small number of MPs vote on a debate when it is in committee The report stage debate will be the first chance for all MPs to vote again on the bill since its second reading in November 8 Apr 202517.51 CESTNew child protection authority being set up, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips tells MPsA new child protection authority will be created to address one of the central recommendations of a major inquiry into child sexual abuse, PA Media reports. PA says: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Professor Alexis Jay found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an “epidemic” across the two nations. The wait for the recommendations to be implemented hit the headlines in January after billionaire X owner Elon Musk criticised the prime minister and Home Office minister Jess Phillips over the UK’s handling of child grooming scandals. Today Phillips told MPs the publication of the report should have been a “landmark moment”, but victims and survivors were “failed again” when recommendations were not properly taken forward under the previous government. She told the Commons: “I can announce to the house that to prioritise the protection of children and to improve national oversight and consistency of child protection practice, this government will establish a new child protection authority. “Building on the national child safeguarding review panel, the child protection authority will address one of IICSA’s central recommendations for providing national leadership and learning on child protection and safeguarding. “Work to expand the role of the panel will begin immediately, and we will consult on developing the new authority this year.” But the safeguarding minister was also faced with backlash in the Commons for not providing an update on five local inquiries into child rape gangs previously announced by the government. Responding to Phillips’ statement, Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam told the Commons: “In January, the home secretary said the government would conduct five local inquiries into the rape gangs which have terrorised so many innocent children. “Over three months since the government announced these local inquiries, Tom Crowther KC, a barrister invited by the Home Office to help establish them, knows almost nothing about their progress, and neither do we.” 8 Apr 202517.34 CEST Starmer says 'all options on table' for Scunthorpe steelworks Q: When will the government legislate to lower the voting age to 16? Starmer says it’s a manifesto commitment, and the government will definitely implement it. It has been brought in in Scotland and Wales, and the sky “didn’t fall in”. Q: And do you favour more citizenship education? Starmer says he is pleased it is in the curriculum. And the curriculum is being reviewed. 8 Apr 202516.57 CESTStarmer says state-based threats to people in UK are 'growing', and threat is underestimatedMeg Hillier asks about foreign states, like China, Russia and Iran, taking action against people in the UK. Starmer says this is an important issue. State-based threats in the UK are ‘“growing”, he says. It is an important strand of defence and security work. And it being constantly raised in international talks. I think we generally underestimate that threat, and it’s very important we’re alive to it. You highlight a really important issue, which is state action in this country, which is growing, and state-based threats. And we need to be aware that this is growing and I can assure the committee it is an important strand of the work that we are doing on defence and security all of the time now. It is constantly raised in international discussions that we have for very obvious reasons, but it is a serious threat. I think we generally underestimate that threat and it’s very important that we’re alive to it. Updated at 18.28 CEST8 Apr 202516.54 CESTToni Antoniazzi (Lab) asks Starmer if he backs calls for an inquiry into the killing of Sean Brown in Northern Ireland in 1997. State agents have been linked to the murder. Starmer says the government will consider the court of appeal judgment on this, which said the refusal to hold an inquiry was unlawful. But he says in the first instance there should be a criminal investigation. 8 Apr 202516.50 CESTChi Onwurah (Lab) goes next. Q: Peter Kyle says big tech companies are as powerful as nation states. How will you treat them? Starmer says these are powerful companies. But the government does tax them, and they are subject to the Online Safety Act. Q: The riots last summer were amplified by misinformaton on social meda. The Online Safety Act does not cover this. Will you take action? Starmer says where online information incited violence, it was unlawful. Some people thought online was a law-free zone. It was important to establish that it was not. He says gauging what is misinformation or not is hard to policy. Q: China spends between £8bn and £10bn a year on information operations, and Russia about half that. What does the UK spent? Starmer says the government does take action against misinformation by state actors. Q: Can we defend ourselves without a sovereign AI capability? Yes, we can, Starmer says. But he says the country should always be ambitious. 8 Apr 202516.42 CESTQ: Do you agree that a dispute about fish should not hold up the UK and the EU agreeing a security pact? Starmer says Boris Johnson agreed the fishing deal with the EU. It has to be reviewed periodically, he says. But he says it is best if this is not done in public. 8 Apr 202516.39 CESTStarmer declines to comment on Chinese nationals caught fighting in Ukraine saying he needs proper briefing firstTan Dhesi (Lab) goes next Q: What is your response to the news that two Chinese soldiers have been caught fighting for Russia in Ukraine? Starmer says he has only just heard this news. He says he would like to get a proper briefing on what happened before he comments. He says he would like to speak to President Zelenskyy against this. Updated at 16.40 CEST8 Apr 202516.34 CESTStarmer says there should be an inquiry into killing of 15 humanitarian workers in GazaSarah Champion (Lab) is asking the questions Q: Israel seems to be ignoring international law How will the UK comply with the international court of justice ruling on Israel breaking international law Starmer says he was an international lawyer But of course he believes in international law He says the government thinks the occupation of Palestine is unlawful Q: Many people feel Israel is not being held to account. Will we push for an inquiry into the recent killing of 15 humanitarian workers in Gaza? Starmer says there has to be an inquiry into that. And he says aid needs to be getting into Gaza. And the UK should put its “foot in the door” to push for a two-state solution. 8 Apr 202516.29 CESTStarmer says he does not want to cut the aid budget. But he does not accept the government can do nothing until the aid budget goes up again. He goes on: That’s why I’ve had active discussions with the World Bank, other institutions, other countries and the private sector about how we could leverage aid financing in a different way, using the private sector, how we can better co ordinate and cooperate with other countries. 8 Apr 202516.27 CESTMeg Hillier asked Starmer about Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, using a pocket money comparison when referring to disability benefits being cut. Of course language matters, I think every member of Cabinet knows that. Occasionally people don’t get it quite right. They usually apologise and are quite right to.” The two values that have driven me in everything I’ve done as a lawyer and as a politician are dignity and respect. Dignity is probably the most important word in my dictionary. "Nothing is off the table," and the government hopes to see private investment at the plant It comes after the UK government took control of the site at the weekend after it was put at risk of imminent closure had stopped ordering vital materials for the site Without supplies of coking coal and iron ore, the furnaces cool - which could mean they shut for good Some workers are feeling "a lot more optimistic" about the plant's future – while others tell the BBC "we've been let down before" Watch: British Steel workers cautious over plant's future with BBC Look North reporting from Scunthorpe Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner surveyed the government’s latest charge this afternoon as she told reporters that her team is “confident in the future of British Steel” After the government took control of the Scunthorpe plant on the weekend a race began to ensure that vital materials - including iron ore and coking coal - were readily available The urgency came from the 2,700 jobs at risk should the furnaces cool - and end up being shut down for good as union figures - and then government ministers - stressed that the government was "confident" that British Steel could remain in operation Shipments of the materials may now be on the way but long-term questions remain around the future for the country's steel industry MPs from Wales and Scotland are asking why similar protectionary measures weren't granted in their regions - while Rayner says she "would like to see" private investment in British Steel in the future Meanwhile, Beijing warned the UK against "politicising" negotiations around the plant which is still owned by Chinese firm Jingye That brings our live coverage to an end for today but there's more across the BBC on this story: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingIn pictures: Rayner visits British Steelpublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 14 April16:25 BST 14 AprilAs we've been reporting Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been visiting British Steel in Scunthorpe Rayner said the government would not rule out private investment and it remains confident about the future of the business Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Nothing off the table': Government open to private investment at Scunthorpepublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 14 April15:35 BST 14 AprilThis video can not be played Angela Rayner says raw materials for British Steel plant 'paid for' Rayner reiterates that it is important for the UK to continue to make steel in this country The deputy PM suggests that her team has taken "nothing off the table" and "would like to see" private investment in the plant going forwards She's then pressed on the UK's relationship with China after suggestions that the Chinese firm Jingye - which owns the plant - had tried to "sabotage" British Steel by failing to gather vital materials to keep the furnaces burning Rayner emphasises that there is "no evidence" of this and suggests that the government was forced to act after Jingye didn't take up the business secretary's offer to support the Scunthorpe steelworks Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingUnions are 'very happy' with government's response - Raynerpublished at 15:32 British Summer Time 14 April15:32 BST 14 AprilImage source UK PoolThe deputy prime minister says they have the raw materials needed for the blast furnaces to continue and those have been paid for "We're confident that the furnaces will continue to fire," she says Rayner's then asked if the raw materials will arrive today - she doesn't say but repeats that they have the vital supplies and "everything is in place" The new management and the unions are "very happy with the government's response so far" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRayner 'confident' raw materials will keep furnaces going at Scunthorpepublished at 15:28 British Summer Time 14 April15:28 BST 14 AprilImage source PA MediaDeputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been visiting British Steel workers in Scunthorpe today Rayner says she's "confident" that the UK government has the raw materials necessary to keep the furnaces going Asked if she should have done something sooner Rayner says the new management and unions told her they're "very happy" with what the government has done It comes after the UK government recalled Parliament on Saturday, when an emergency law rushed through and gave the government control of the Lincolnshire site to prevent Jingye - the Chinese firm that owns British Steel - from closing the furnaces against ministers' wishes Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTrump's trade war might help explain the different outcome at Port Talbotpublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 14 April14:53 BST 14 AprilFelicity EvansBBC Wales money editor Labour says the deal to support the transition to greener steel at Port Talbot had already been done by the time they won the general election in July 2024 Despite their criticisms of that deal whilst in opposition in the three months before the plant's last blast furnace was shut down in September 2024 the changes they negotiated were around improved conditions for affected workers rather than any fundamental changes to Tata's plan for the future which was already under way When the blast furnaces were closing in Port Talbot the UK continued to have the ability to make steel from scratch at the plant in Scunthorpe – although even then there were concerns about its future The fact that Scunthorpe is now the home of the only operational blast furnaces in the UK may well have focused minds at Westminster especially since ministers seem to have lost trust in Chinese owners Jingye Add to that President Trump’s recent imposition of 25% tariffs on steel imports to the US and the uncertainty of where a trade war between the US and China might end up and the questions about how best to secure the UK’s place in the global steel industry have only intensified Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingComparing Scunthorpe and Port Talbot 'not entirely fair' - union officialpublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 14 April14:42 BST 14 AprilImage source As we reported in our earlier post Plaid Cymru has criticised the government's action to take control of British Steel saying it failed to do the same in Wales with Port Talbot The national secretary for GMB union says today that comparing Port Talbot and Scunthorpe isn't "entirely fair" mainly because most of the developments at the Welsh plant happened under the previous Conservative government they were asleep at the wheel," Andy Prendergast says The Labour government has backed plans for a new £1.25bn electric arc furnace at Port Talbot "This (Scunthorpe) was our last blast furnace and we have a different government at the wheel," Prendergast says adding that Labour was "willing to take the bull by the horns" to keep the Scunthorpe plant going Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'A ridiculous situation' or the start of a 'green revolution' Parties reactpublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 14 April14:14 BST 14 AprilImage source Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper has welcomed the government’s action but has also urged it to use the new legislation “judiciously” While several Tory MPs voted in favour of the bill shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith says that “the government could have seen this coming earlier" He called the deal a "botched nationalisation" but argued the Conservatives supported the deal because "it's the least worst option on the table" Leader Nigel Farage today criticises the “somewhat ridiculous situation” in which he suggests Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is “in charge of what’s left of the British steel industry” before it is sold to a private business “later down the road” but is also urging it to use the new legislation “judiciously” - as part of a plan to get the steel industry "back on track" Green Party MP Ellie Chowns argues that the government should go further and nationalise British Steel The MP suggests this will provide “the opportunity to help drive the green industrial revolution” and support the Scunthorpe steelworks to transition “from blast furnaces to electric arcs” Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhy can't furnaces be easily restarted?published at 13:52 British Summer Time 14 April13:52 BST 14 AprilJennifer MeierhansSenior business reporter Another common question is why the blast furnace cannot be easily restarted. Former steel plant worker Bill Penn says that to turn the furnace off, you need to almost work through the steps we just discussed backwards. Start by draining the iron and slag from the tap hole and stopping the hot air from igniting those chemical reactions Around 300 tonnes of hot metal can come out and "it can stay like that for about a week before it starts chilling and solidifying" Another hurdle is turning the furnace back on as the pool of metal can expand and crack the furnace's shell "To stop that happening you need to empty that sump pool using a salamander [chilled metal] tap process by drilling a hole to remove any remaining hot metal," Penn adds Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat is a blast furnace?published at 13:20 British Summer Time 14 April13:20 BST 14 AprilJennifer MeierhansSenior business reporter We're getting lots of questions about how a blast furnace works The furnace is like a "fat steel chimney" which gets to temperatures as high as 2,100C and turns raw materials like iron ore and coking coal into liquid iron Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Grangemouth should be nationalised too' - Swinneypublished at 13:10 British Summer Time 14 April13:10 BST 14 AprilImage source Getty ImagesAfter the emergency vote on British Steel at the weekend questions are now being asked about the government's decision not to intervene in Scotland to save Grangemouth - the UK's oldest oil refinery Scotland's only oil refinery has been marked for closure by its owner Petroineos About 400 of the 2,000 jobs that are based at the industrial complex will be lost SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds over similarities to the closure of the Scottish refinery on the Firth of Forth Scottish First Minister John Swinney reupped those feelings at a news conference this morning saying: "If British Steel is to be nationalised to protect it Reynolds told the Commons at the weekend that the threat to the Scunthorpe plant was a "unique situation" He also said that the UK government had pledged £200m to secure Grangemouth's long-term future Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGovernment 'confident' it can secure materials to keep furnaces runningpublished at 12:56 British Summer Time 14 April12:56 BST 14 AprilBreakingDowning Street has said it is now “confident” that raw materials will reach the British Steel site in Scunthorpe to keep the blast furnaces running “We are now confident in securing the supply of materials needed," the prime minister’s official spokesperson says adding that the government is working with management at the Scunthorpe site to secure a “steady supply” of materials The iron ore pellets and coking coal contained in two shipments at Immingham docks will reach the steelworks “over the coming days” A third shipment of raw materials is currently off the coast of Africa and making its way to the UK He suggests that order had already begun prior to the government taking control of the site but says “there were contractual issues that have now been sorted" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Double standards' for English steel some politicians saypublished at 12:38 British Summer Time 14 April12:38 BST 14 AprilImage source Getty ImagesThe UK government has been accused of double standards after 2,800 jobs were lost when steel production ended at Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant in September In a debate discussing a proposed British Steel law to save a Scunthorpe plant Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat MPs criticised the government's plans saying it had failed to do the same for Port Talbot - once the UK's largest virgin steel producer says that Labour negotiated the "best voluntary redundancy package ever offered by Tata" is that in Scunthorpe the government was dealing with a company "that was not negotiating in good faith" A shift manager at the Talbot Port steelworks Stuart Philips tells BBC Radio Wales that he thought the "possibility of nationalising the steelworks" was something that would also be considered for the Welsh plant before it was shut down we'll also set out why the government says the crisis in Scunthorpe is "not comparable" to the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'I might have to move my business abroad': Is British Steel trouble impacting you?published at 12:21 British Summer Time 14 April12:21 BST 14 AprilWe're keen to hear what impact the uncertainty around the British Steel plant has had on you whose company UN Global Trading exports steel around the world He tells us: "We were looking to expand in the UK but now I might have to establish my business abroad maybe in Dubai where it is supported." Are you based at the steelworks in Scunthorpe You can get in touch in the following ways: · Email:bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external · Upload your pictures and video · Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external · Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy with its embassy in the UK recently saying that it is "closely following" developments involving British Steel and the Chinese firm that owns it When asked about the UK government's recent move to take control of Scunthorpe a spokesperson for the embassy says: "We have urged the British side to act in accordance with the principles of fairness impartiality and non-discrimination." "It is an objective fact that British steel companies have generally encountered difficulties in recent years," the spokesperson adds The statement goes on to say that the embassy hopes the British government will negotiate with Jingye to "find a solution acceptable to all parties" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBritish Steel workers cautious over plant's futurepublished at 11:29 British Summer Time 14 April11:29 BST 14 AprilThis video can not be played Watch: Workers starting their shifts at the plant speak to BBC Look North We've been hearing from British Steel employees turning up for work this morning While some have warmly welcomed the government's intervention others are remaining cautious until a secure ownership deal is confirmed Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMore coal will come to keep furnace alight Scunthorpe worker sayspublished at 11:07 British Summer Time 14 April11:07 BST 14 AprilDavid McKennaLive reporter describes the mood at the steelworks today as “more positive” “It’s right to look after the place – it keeps jobs and it keeps steel,” he says Union bosses have claimed that the blast furnaces at the site were now “secure” following the government’s emergency measures the general secretary of the Community Union said the two blast furnaces will continue to run today John tells BBC Look North that the media was “getting a bit overcome” about the supply of raw materials “If we slow a furnace down we will be alright.” Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'These are serious people': British Steel appoints new leaderspublished at 10:58 British Summer Time 14 April10:58 BST 14 AprilBritish Steel has just announced that it has appointed a new interim chief executive The company says both are long-term employees and that the appointments have been signed-off by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds Bell says: “Our sole focus is ensuring a secure and sustainable future for British Steel’s production in Scunthorpe “Our immediate priorities are securing the raw materials we need to continue blast furnace operations ensuring we have the dedicated personnel to run those furnaces and maintaining the highest levels of health and safety for our workforce “We look forward to working in partnership with our colleagues in government the trade unions and the workforce here in Scunthorpe." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhy is it important for the UK to be able to make virgin steel?published at 10:41 British Summer Time 14 April10:41 BST 14 AprilJoe PikePolitical & Investigations Correspondent UK government officials are standing by to take control of the site In Scunthorpe, steelworkers kept furnaces burning today as their future now seems more certain Nationalisation looks like the increasingly inevitable next step, writes the BBC's Chris Mason "Today, my government has stepped in to save British Steel" adding he is "turning the page on a decade of decline" PM Keir Starmer meets British Steel workers with Oli Constable reporting from Scunthorpe An emergency bill to save British Steel's Scunthorpe plant has become law It took around six and a half hours in total for Parliament to pass the legislation and the King to approve it The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act will allow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to direct the board and staff of British Steel Reynolds said the government had "no choice but to act" to save the Scunthorpe plant said it had been suffering financial losses of around £700,000 a day Shortly after the hearing in the House of Commons this morning Starmer met with steelworkers in Lincolnshire telling them they are the "backbone of British Steel" said the atmosphere was celebratory after the law was passed the government will begin the process of taking control of British Steel in a bid to keep the furnaces burning in Scunthorpe We're now closing our live coverage, but you can keep up to date with the latest developments in our news story. Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingStarmer says government 'turning page on a decade of decline'published at 19:50 British Summer Time 12 April19:50 BST 12 AprilImage source Getty ImagesWe're hearing from Keir Starmer now who earlier attended the hearing in the Commons before meeting with steelworkers near Scunthorpe my Government has stepped in to save British Steel We are acting to protect the jobs of thousands of workers and all options are on the table to secure the future of the industry" The prime minister adds that his government is "turning the page on a decade of decline where our manufacturing heartlands were hollowed out by the previous government." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We are one steel family': How people in Scunthorpe handled the day in their own wordspublished at 19:44 British Summer Time 12 April19:44 BST 12 AprilImage source Getty ImagesThroughout the day we've been hearing from people in Scunthorpe directly affected by the outcome of today's debate Here's a snapshot of what steelworkers told the BBC: “It won’t just be felt by those directly employed by British Steel,” he says said he was "hoping for the best but planning for the worst" said: "I’ve worked at the steelworks since I left school I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else." During a march in support of saving the plant the crowd chanted “we want our steel back” and “we want British Steel” one worker told Starmer before the law was passed: "We're not there yet we've still got a lot of hard work to do." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingA necessary outcome says Confederation for Business Industry policy chiefpublished at 19:12 British Summer Time 12 April19:12 BST 12 AprilJohn Foster chief policy and campaigns officer at the Confederation for Business Industry says the government's decision to take control of British Steel is " a necessary outcome needed to preserve the UK’s primary steel production capability" given the government's aim for economic growth "it is vital the UK doesn’t lose vital steelmaking capabilities" "In a period of global instability it is increasingly important that the UK has the capability to provide the steel we need" adding its is necessary within the "volatile backdrop provided by tariffs" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingIn Scunthorpe steelworkers head home with more certainty in their futurespublished at 19:02 British Summer Time 12 April19:02 BST 12 AprilOli ConstableReporting from Scunthorpe As workers leave the gates following their shifts they fist pump the air and beep their horns While they've been working to keep the blast furnaces running Westminster has spent the day deciding their futures It’s moved very quickly but the reality for the town has been months and months of worry surrounding the jobs of their loved ones There’s a steady stream of cars coming and going during the shift change Many just want to go home after a hard days' work Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'A kick in the teeth for Port Talbot'published at 18:56 British Summer Time 12 April18:56 BST 12 AprilBBC Newsbeat The government's emergency bill on British Steel's Scunthorpe plant has been happily received by steelworkers in Lincolnshire blast furnaces owned by Tata Steel were shut down Locals have been questioning why they didn't receive a similar plan of intervention described today's government intervention for British Steel as "a kick in the teeth for Port Talbot" Owen says he's pleased the government stepped in to protect steelmaking in the UK but noted the lack of action for steelworkers in Wales: "Where was that when we were going through it?" Owen worked at Tata steel which closed six months ago who owns a gifts and interiors business in Port Talbot says he and other retailers have been impacted by the Tata Steel closure we are trying our best to keep going" He said he'd like the government to "take control of all the remaining steelworks and provide a better future for Port Talbot steelworks" Richard says his store in the high street has been affected by Tata Steel closures Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'A major opportunity' nuclear project chief sayspublished at 18:42 British Summer Time 12 April18:42 BST 12 AprilA joint managing director for British nuclear project Sizewell C says "this is a major opportunity to support UK steelmakers" Julia Pyke welcomes the fact that "British Steel is recognised as a strategic national asset" which proposes to build a new nuclear power station on the East Suffolk coast will be "one of the biggest buyers of British steel in the coming years" "We expect to use more than 350,000 tonnes of steel over the course of construction we anticipate a steel pipeline of over £650 million throughout the next decade," she adds Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBritish Steel law - explainedpublished at 18:25 British Summer Time 12 April18:25 BST 12 AprilAn emergency bill to save British Steel's Scunthorpe plant from closing has been approved by Parliament and the King Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRoyal Assent granted bill on British Steel becomes lawpublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 12 April18:06 BST 12 AprilBreakingRoyal assent has been granted to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said This means the legislation has cleared the Houses of Parliament and become law Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat's next?published at 17:49 British Summer Time 12 April17:49 BST 12 AprilJoe PikePolitical & Investigations Correspondent The bill has now cleared the Lords without amendments and goes straight to the King for Royal Assent the government managed to get this five page bit of legislation through We understand government officials are already in Scunthorpe awaiting Royal Assent which will allow them to start taking charge of part of that business This bill allows the business secretary to direct the board and staff of British Steel There's an urgency to this because of the possibility those furnaces go out the UK government will have the power to make sure that doesn't happen Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat is Royal Assent?published at 17:38 British Summer Time 12 April17:38 BST 12 AprilJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporter The bill has now been approved by Parliament but is awaiting Royal Assent - what does that mean Royal Assent is the final stage a bill must pass to become an Act of Parliament Although strictly speaking the monarch could decide to refuse permission the granting of Royal Assent is a formality in the modern UK Parliament The royal approval is then announced by the Speakers in both Houses of Parliament what this means in this case is that the UK government will be able to take control of the steelworks in Scunthorpe Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingUK officials 'standing ready' to take control of Scunthorpe plantpublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 12 April17:36 BST 12 AprilBreakingJoe PikePolitical & Investigations Correspondent Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBill on British Steel set to become law after clearing Parliamentpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 12 April17:32 BST 12 AprilBreakingThe emergency legislation giving the government the power to take control of the British Steel site at Scunthorpe is on course to become law after it was approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords The Lords Constitution Select Committee had stressed that emergency legislation should include sunset clauses "wherever possible" the government's business minister in the Lords replies: "A fixed sunset clause wouldn't be practical and would cause an unacceptable amount of uncertainty if a solution to the issue at hand became protracted" She adds laws could still be revoked by Parliament at any time and opponents agree to withdraw the amendments the bill is officially approved by Parliament and is awaiting Royal Assent Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNationalisation looks increasingly like inevitable next steppublished at 17:17 British Summer Time 12 April17:17 BST 12 AprilChris MasonPolitical editor Toddlers in tow in Parliament today told the human story of this last minute government intervention Whether it really needed to be so last minute seems a reasonable question The government argues its dealings with Jingye British Steel’s Chinese owners became increasingly fraught and bitter and without immediate intervention the plant would have been doomed within weeks Blast furnaces starved of raw material don’t just go out but can And so this stop gap; a weekend legislative sprint a bill going from First Reading to Royal Assent in hours Nationalisation looks like the increasingly inevitable next step pragmatic in the circumstances argue ministers reckon some who know the Prime Minister’s mind of an instinct for a sliver of economic nativism; muscular government intervention in an era dominated by President Trump’s guiding principle of “America First.” There are big questions and big numbers attached to this path – and so potentially big budgetary implications too down the track This will be far from the last day this year the British steel industry makes news Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat is a sunset clause?published at 17:11 British Summer Time 12 April17:11 BST 12 AprilJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporter the House of Lords were delayed following amendments tabled by Tory and Lib Dem peers around a "sunset clause" in the bill - but what does this mean A sunset clause is an agreement that a contract will expire it is put into a law to specify an expiration date or time limit peers want to see a time limit added to the Bill so that the sweeping powers that will be granted to the Business Secretary cannot continue indefinitely with Conservative Lord Hunt of Wirral speaking in support of his amendment to introduce such a sunset clause to the bill Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLords return to debate - watch and follow livepublished at 16:51 British Summer Time 12 April16:51 BST 12 AprilPeers in the House of Lords have returned continuing their debate on the bill to save British Steel's Scunthorpe plant You can follow along by clicking Watch live at the top of this page We'll continue to bring you the key developments as we get them Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingDebate in Lords delayed as Tory and Lib Dem peers table amendments to billpublished at 16:38 British Summer Time 12 April16:38 BST 12 AprilBreakingJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporter The House of Lords will now return at 16:45 BST, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers have tabled amendments , externalaround a "sunset clause" in the emergency Bill they want the extraordinary powers given to the Business Secretary to be reconsidered by Parliament after six months and removed if MPs agree the Act is no longer needed Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingListen: A step towards nationalisation for British Steel?published at 16:34 British Summer Time 12 April16:34 BST 12 AprilThe BBC's Newscast podcast takes a look at the future of British Steel as MPs voted to take control over a Scunthorpe plant They met in Parliament on a Saturday for the first time since 1982 and he joins Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell to talk through the details as well as what it says about how the UK is responding to international events If you're in the UK, listen to new episodes, released daily on BBC Sounds MPs met in Parliament on a Saturday to pass emergency bill Government hails safeguarding of jobs as 55,000-tonne load and other imminent supplies mean blast furnaces have fuel Steelmaking at Scunthorpe will continue for months after it confirmed that a shipment of more than 55,000 tonnes of coking coal arrived in the UK this weekend The shipment – more than four times the weight of the Shard, western Europe’s tallest building – landed at the Immingham bulk terminal on the Humber River on Sunday and will be taken by rail the 20 miles to the British Steel site to power its blast furnaces It arrived just over a fortnight after ministers recalled parliament to approve emergency legislation to take control of the site and continue production amid fears that British Steel’s Chinese owner The takeover prompted a frantic scramble at the highest level of government to secure new shipments of raw materials to feed the plant’s two furnaces The blast furnace coke that arrived on Sunday was imported from Bluescope Steel’s plant in Australia Another shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines said: “By securing the raw materials we need to keep Scunthorpe going for the foreseeable future we’ve helped protect thousands of crucial steel jobs Now British Steel workers and their families can breathe a sigh of relief and know that we are on their side.” The government said the shipments had been paid for from existing budgets at the Department for Business and Trade Earlier this week, British Steel scrapped a consultation plan on making up to 2,700 steelworkers redundant that Jingye had launched after it proposed closing Scunthorpe’s two blast furnaces which would have ended the UK’s ability to make steel from scratch said: “We’ve successfully secured the raw materials we need to keep the blast furnaces running meaning our production of steel can continue Over the coming months our focus will be on stabilising our operations for the long term cementing British Steel as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel.” Securing the supply of coking coal to the Scunthorpe plant has avoided the need for a so-called “salamander tap” a process in which a hole is drilled in the bottom of the blast furnace to let out which in effect would have paused steelmaking operations at one of the two furnaces an assistant general secretary at the steelworkers’ union Community said: “We are grateful to British Steel and the government for the decisive work they have undertaken to secure a future for the business we now have a UK government which understands the vital strategic importance of steel and is backing this up with action.” The government said that now the urgent supplies of raw materials had been obtained it was continuing to focus on securing British Steel’s long-term future by finding private-sector funding This article was amended on 28 April 2025 An earlier version said that the plant’s furnaces were nicknamed Queen Anne and Queen Bess; these are their names After Chorley's narrow 1-0 win over King’s Lynn Town and Chester’s extra-time victory against Buxton Let’s take a look at the first of the semi-finals - and another huge crowd is expected Scunthorpe United will be thrilled they have home advantage - because their away form is what saw them miss out on the title on 90 points in comparison to Brackley Town’s 92 they know how important it is to be in front of their fans and have proven to be a tough nut to crack There’s been nothing to separate them in the league this season Any team with Mark Ellis at both ends are not there to make up the numbers Scunthorpe United:Callum Roberts: 20Danny Whitehall: 14Alfie Beestin: 8 Chorley:Mark Ellis: 12Mike Calveley: 11Kole Hall: 10Tom Carr: 10 Head to head: 24/08/24: Chorley 1-1 Scunthorpe United18/01/25: Scunthorpe United 2-2 Chorley Scunthorpe United: “We've now got two games to get into the National League with home advantage “Chorley are a very good team going forward excellent at set pieces so that's one aspect of their game “But the message to the players is just focus on ourselves again.” Chorley: “We've got into that mentality of when the pressure comes “We know that if you don't finish in those first three spots you're going to have a really tough away game and it doesn't get any tougher in our league a great stadium and the fans make it electric” AHEAD of our playoff semi-final away at Scunthorpe United on Saturday we have plenty of information to share with you ahead of the match Visiting supporters will be accommodated in a seated area and prices will be as follows: 65+/ Under 21 / Full Time Students / Key Workers £14 Tickets are available to purchase online at www.sufctickets.com Please ensure that upon navigating to the event that you click "CHANGE TO AWAY" to purchase from the correct area Chorley have been allocated two blocks in the AMS Stand Tickets are NOT be available to purchase upon arrival at Scunthorpe The club are delighted to be offering OFFICIAL away travel for this fixture Coach tickets are priced at £10 per person Coach tickets can be purchased from www.tickets.chorleyfc.com the more coaches that will be booked by the club A strict NO ALCOHOL policy is in place for these coaches Coaches will depart from Pilling Lane (PR7 3EE) at 10:30am on Saturday morning THE UK government is “confident” the supply of coke over the coming days will be sufficient for British Steel to continue operations at the Scunthorpe blast furnaces it took control of over the weekend On Monday morning it had been feared that the Scunthorpe plant would run out of coke and iron ore Coke is the essential fuel in smelting iron ore to make steel Switching off the blast furnaces could damage their structure as cooling iron would harden two shipments of coke were confirmed to have arrived into the port of Immingham in Lincolnshire The government also expects another shipment to arrive “in the coming days” Produced from a blend of specific types of coal coke has not been made in the UK since March 2024 when Tata Steel closed the country’s last remaining coking plant in Port Talbot in South Wales UK steel production has since relied entirely on imported coke a Department of Energy Security and Net Zero parliamentary private secretary and Fellow of IChemE told TCE that in the short term he expected the government to import “whatever is available” as they try to stabilise British Steel’s commercial operations The government has accused British Steel’s Chinese owner Jingye of selling off coke and iron ore after the company announced plans to close the UK’s two remaining blast furnaces in Scunthorpe last month the government passed emergency legislation to bring the business under its control Long-term ownership of British Steel has not yet been finalised although the government has not ruled out renationalising it British Steel also has beam mills in Lackenby and Skinningrove in Teesside which are now under state control who previously held roles as CEO of the UK National Steel Innovation Centre and the Materials Processing Institute in Teesside before becoming the Labour MP for Stockton North said in parliament on Saturday: “It is really important to realise that steel companies do not operate in a free market and if we ask our steel companies to do that we’re asking them to compete with national governments overseas “And we’re letting national governments overseas set out steel policy and fundamentally our defence policy as well.” In a video posted to his social media channels later that day McDonald added that Jingye hasn’t “behaved in good faith” and that it was time “for the government to intervene” The steelworks at Scunthorpe have four product lines making what McDonald described to TCE as “incredibly high-quality products” such as fine wire used to make tyres and steel beams for high-speed railways he said that “members might not be aware that [of] the steels we’re producing today two-thirds of them didn’t exist 15 years ago” and that this represents the “continuous innovation in the steel industry” McDonald told TCE that he wants the Scunthorpe steelworks to “move to the point where we can invest in clean production” of steel He told parliament he hopes the government can do this “with the most modern Shortly after the remaining blast furnaces in Port Talbot, owned by Tata Steel, ceased production last year, the government invested £500m (US$661m) to build an electric arc furnace (EAF) in their place EAFs are far more energy efficient than blast furnaces producing virgin-like metal by smelting existing steel Other figures have also used the crisis at British Steel as an opportunity to call on the government to invest in EAFs executive director of the Green Alliance think tank said: “Scunthorpe can be at the heart of a thriving green steel sector “We have the opportunity to pivot to electric arc furnaces supported by investment and a transition plan to safeguard thousands of jobs and meet the growing demand for cleaner steel.” said last Friday: “The government will soon decide where investment goes – and Teesside is ready and the will to build a new electric arc furnace.” In February, the government launched a consultation to assess how to invest £2.5bn earmarked to help the UK steel industry grow with a focus on the importance on decarbonisation The government is expected to publish its “steel strategy” in the coming months Article by Sam Baker British Steel to close Scunthorpe blast furnaces after rejecting £500m government rescue package UK government launches steel consultation to fanfare from industry and unions UN climate experts warn society must make unparalleled shift Mixed reaction as Government moves to shield heavy industry from spiralling energy costs £500m for Port Talbot electric arc furnace, with 2,500 jobs still set to go Process Engineer - Safety Specialist Process Engineering Lead Process Engineer - Upstream Process Engineer 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You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports Steelmaking in Scunthorpe will continue as the Government confirmed the arrival of a new shipment of raw materials today this weekend – bolstering the UK’s national security by protecting the vital capability of domestic steel production A shipment of over 55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke – more than four times the weight of the Shard – from Bluescope Steel’s plant in Australia arrived at Immingham Bulk Terminal today on the MV (merchant vessel) Navios Alegria It will now be transferred by rail to Scunthorpe The coke is crucial to helping ensure both blast furnaces at British Steel can keep running for the coming months and a vital part of efforts to provide a steady pipeline of materials for continued steelmaking Another shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines is due to arrive from Sweden next week and has been paid for directly by government using existing DBT budgets – as part of this government’s commitment to backing UK industry to succeed In further efforts to shore up the company British Steel has confirmed two more crucial appointments to its leadership team with a new interim Chief Operating Officer and HR Director both of whom have more than 30 years’ experience in the steel industry Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: This government is on the side of British workers and British industry The action we’ve taken to secure primary steelmaking at Scunthorpe will not only support our national security but help our steel sector supply the construction of the homes and infrastructure of the future By securing the raw materials we need to keep Scunthorpe going for the foreseeable future we’ve helped protect thousands of crucial steel jobs British Steel workers and their families can breathe a sigh of relief and know that we are on their side We’ve successfully secured the raw materials we need to keep the blast furnaces running We would not be here today without the hard work and dedication of our specialist procurement technical and operational teams who have worked tirelessly on short timescales to secure the required raw materials Over the coming months our focus will be on stabilising our operations for the long-term cementing British Steel as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said: The imminent shipments of coke and other raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces running over the months ahead provide much-needed assurance for our members on site in Scunthorpe We are grateful to British Steel and the government for the decisive work they have undertaken to secure a future for the business - we have seen their commitment and dedication first-hand we now have a UK Government which understands the vital strategic importance of steel The latest delivery of vital raw materials reinforces the UK’s primary steelmaking capacity by ensuring both blast furnaces at Scunthorpe can remain operational and gives certainty to the workforce of around 3,000 employed at the steelworks It also comes after British Steel announced earlier this week that it has ended a consultation on staff redundancies launched in March by its owners Jingye and confirmed it would keep both blast furnaces running securing thousands of jobs thanks to the Government’s decisive action to step in and save the company Now that the necessary supplies of raw materials for the blast furnaces have been confirmed the Government is continuing to focus on securing the long-term future of British Steel with private sector investment working closely with a range of third parties on potential options Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details A new row is breaking out over the steel job losses at Port Talbot as it emerged that the UK Government may help a Norwegian company set up an iron ore pellet plant in the south Wales town to supply British Steel in Scunthorpe The UK Labour Government has been criticised for offering more help to save labour-intensive blast furnaces in Scunthorpe than it was prepared to offer to Tata in Port Talbot where the transition to low carbon steelmaking is costing thousands of jobs News that a new plant in Port Talbot may act as part of the supply chain to British Steel in Scunthorpe is already being seen as a further insult to Wales UK Business Minister Sarah Jones referred briefly to the possibility when responding to a question in the Commons from Welsh Labour MP Carolyn Harris Asked by the Neath and Swansea East MP “Can the minister assure the steel communities of South Wales that they will receive a substantial share of the £2.5bn steel fund?” Ms Jones replied: “We renegotiated the deal with Port Talbot and the £500m that goes alongside that “I had a good meeting this week with [Norwegian green steel company] Blastr who are looking to build an iron pellet plant in the Port Talbot site we have had our focus in recent weeks on Scunthorpe and British Steel that is very broad and hopes to lift the entire UK steel industry.” Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for business and trade spokesperson said: “Turning Port Talbot into a shipping stop for Scunthorpe’s benefit would be yet another insult to Wales “Wales has lost its blast furnaces forever An offering of minimal jobs as a sweetener to Port Talbot shows lack of compassion A steel industry insider told Nation.Cymru how iron ore could arrive at Port Talbot by sea and be turned into pellets the size of marbles for transformation into steel in blast furnaces at Scunthorpe A statement on Blastr’s website says: “Blastr Green Steel is backed by solid and competent owners in Vanir Green Industries a Nordic investment company that invests in robust and profitable businesses needed to accelerate the energy transition Vanir Green Industries is managed by a team of experienced professionals with deep industrial competence and a genuine drive to build a more sustainable future In 2023 it was announced that Blastr might build an iron ore pellet plant at Redcar in the north east of England to supply a steelworks in Finland A Tata Steel spokesperson said: “We are committed to working with all our stakeholders to develop potential from surplus land at our site at Port Talbot We are not able to comment on specific expressions of interest at this time.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" It’s got to be better than the tiky-taky housing estates and failed retail parks that the rest of Cymru’s proud iron and steel plants became and any new plant will cause less pollution than what was there before don’t worry the Norwegians will get used to it As you’re apparently blinded by the prejudice of your delusions of grandeur the negative was the bit where you thought it was funny to sign off your post by calling a town and its residents smelly this can only really have been meant as a personal insult to a whole town A further insult on top of the many already made how do you start a comment with the appearance of being serious but then descend to a child in a playground throwing insults by its end Is your mother proud… Read more » The unspoken consensus among all Westminster parties is that Wales – as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland – exist solely to be exploited for England’s benefit No prizes for ascertaining that my vote will be going to Plaid Cymru in May 2026 If Tata have surplus land it should be gifted to the community so it can be regenerated Connect with Nation.Cymru on Facebook and Twitter If you would like to donate to help keep Nation.Cymru running then you just need to click on the box below it will open a pop up window that will allow you to pay using your credit / debit card or paypal Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018 In 2017 Nation.Cymru was launched after raising £5000 from a crowdfunding campaign Today it is one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK attracting over 1.5 million visitors a month We are not backed by billionaire owners or hidden behind a paywall but we depend on our readers' support to continue our work If everyone who visited the site over the course of a month donated at least £1 we would have enough funding for the next eight years To guarantee our future please consider making a donation today. legal wheezes and a plan to divert a ship to Gibraltar to seize cargo a cargo ship carrying more than 50,000 tonnes of coking coal from Australia will dock at Immingham But the moment Navios Alegria reaches the Lincolnshire port will be the culmination of the government’s high-wire act to keep the UK’s last steel furnaces running MPs were recalled from their Easter recess last Saturday to pass emergency legislation handing the government control over British Steel, which operates Britain’s last two blast furnaces capable of producing steel from scratch using coke and iron ore Long-running talks between the government and Jingye Group the Chinese conglomerate that owns the Scunthorpe plant broke down 10 days ago after executives declined an offer of £500m to keep the furnaces running Ministers became convinced that Jingye bosses were determined to shut them down come what may he was informed that ownership of the cargo on Navios Alegria had been transferred from British Steel to Jingye – a sign that the Chinese company intended to sell off the coal needed to keep the blast furnace running Unions have claimed that Jingye had turned away the Amstel Tiger a second cargo ship that was carrying coking coal to Scunthorpe and had set off from the US The other overriding concern in No 10 was ensuring the delivery of the Navios Alegria’s cargo. Starmer was convinced the move to transfer ownership of it away from British Steel was illegal While government lawyers pored over the details aides drew up a plan to divert the vessel – which was travelling up the coast of Liberia and was due to refuel in Spain – to Gibraltar on the basis that if it docked at a British port its cargo could be seized This gambit, which would have required some diplomatic manoeuvring with Spanish authorities, was nicknamed “Steelback” by aides – a reference to the nickname of the British army regiment that received battle honours during the siege of Gibraltar in 1779 Keir Starmer meeting British Steel workers in Appleby village hall near Scunthorpe last Saturday. Photograph: Peter Byrne/ReutersOfficials also drew up contingency plans to source coking coal from other suppliers such as commodity traders and Tata Steel By Saturday morning when Jonathan Reynolds was addressing the Commons everything hung in the balance “Commodities traders were telling us they couldn’t get there on time,” a senior No 10 source said “No one knew what would happen with the Liberian vessel [Navios Alegria] We were on edge.” There were suggestions that the navy would need to be deployed to escort shipments of coking coal to Immingham Free daily newsletterOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day telling you what’s happening and why it matters Read moreOn Tuesday, shipments of coking coal and iron ore from the US completed their comparatively uneventful journey to Immingham after the government settled the payment to deliver the supplies needed to keep the furnaces running Downing Street figures say they took the decisions they did because amid an escalating global trade war and European rearmament producing steel in the UK is a matter of national security Officials believe the crisis may lead to a reassessment of what is deemed critical national infrastructure but unions have called for a rethink in the wake of Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel imports Serious questions remain over the future of the Scunthorpe plant and the beleaguered British steel industry The two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe are nearing the end of their lives The cleaner electric arc furnaces that are slated to replace them would not produce steel from scratch The government is due to publish a steel strategy within weeks including a verdict on whether the UK needs to produce virgin steel In the meantime, the government is looking for private sector investment to avoid the need to nationalise British Steel in the longer term – a route the Conservatives were keen to avoid in 2019 when Jingye was the only bidder ministers will face mounting questions about the cost to the taxpayer Scunthorpe’s Church Square will welcome Street Velodrome the UK’s first portable cycling racetrack and triple Olympic medallist Emma Finucane MBE on Saturday 22 March for a day of fun competition and family-friendly entertainment offering a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to experience the thrill of competitive cycling in a safe and accessible environment who became the first woman to win three medals for Team GB at a single Olympic games in 60 years at Paris 2024 will be taking part in the velodrome cycling throughout the day and she will be bringing her medals with her Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or a complete beginner Street Velodrome provides a unique chance to enjoy the sport and have a go at racing on a professional-level track The portable track is designed to offer an authentic cycling experience simulating the fast-paced action of velodrome racing right in the heart of the community and enjoy some friendly competition in a safe Spectators will have plenty to enjoy as well with the chance to cheer on participants and enjoy waffles and entertainment throughout the day Safety is a top priority at Street Velodrome and the event will be staffed by trained professionals to ensure everything runs smoothly and safely People of all skill levels are welcome to join in as the event is designed to be inclusive and enjoyable with no prior cycling experience necessary please visit Street Velodrome’s website or follow them on social media for updates on the event and other exciting activities “It is fantastic that Street Velodrome are bringing their racetrack to Scunthorpe town centre for people of all ages to give cycling a go To have an Olympian come to Scunthorpe is really exciting and I’m sure Emma Finucane is an inspiration for many “Whether you’re a complete novice or regularly ride your bike Keeping active is great for physical and mental health and this is a fun way for all the family to exercise so all you need to do is turn up and have fun.” But the government is yet to announce long-term ownership plans for British Steel little has been specified about the industrial future of the Scunthorpe plant which once the dust settles from the current crisis will be under pressure to respond to the UK’s decarbonisation targets The government’s immediate aim is simply to keep the two blast furnaces running Initial fears the furnaces would run out of iron ore and coke this week have been allayed by confirmation of shipments of the raw materials arriving at Immingham docks yesterday Were the furnaces to run out of raw materials a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Swansea told TCE that the chances of being able to restart them would be “virtually zero” While switching off blast furnaces is “relatively common practice” for refurbishment the cooling of the inside of the furnace causes iron and slag to harden causing cracks to form in the internal lining a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s Sustainability and Net Zero policy centre said: “Restarting a cooled furnace can take months…you’re essentially looking at a complete rebuild of the inside of the furnace and power is therefore essential to our national steel capability to ensure industrial resilience.” Cameron Pleydell-Pearce is the director of Swansea University’s SUSTAIN centre which is researching methods to produce carbon-neutral steel He told TCE that electric arc furnace (EAF) production an associate professor of engineering science at the University of Oxford echoed the enthusiasm for reprocessing scrap steel in EAFs saying that “steel is indefinitely recyclable” and that “it does not lose its performance” as a result of recycling such as the difficulty in removing impurities from the scrap although Pleydell-Peace told TCE this barrier is “entirely surmountable” with steel demand expected to continue to grow significantly in the coming years many experts believe there will continue to be a need for virgin steel in the economy a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Research believes EAFs will play a role in the UK’s future steel industry but warns they will “most likely result in job losses” and that currently there is “not enough scrap steel to supply EAFs” so primary virgin steel will need to be sourced from elsewhere “The national grid is also not set up to supply the energy required to fuel EAFs at this scale so it would be a timely and costly option.” If the UK is to produce green virgin steel Ackerman says that “direct ore reduction” (DOR) is “the best option for long-term CO2 goals” rather than using coke to generate carbon monoxide through pyrolysis to reduce iron ore – a process that emits large amounts of greenhouse gases – the iron oxide is reduced using hydrogen or ammonia gas with Ackerman saying that currently “the UK hydrogen economy is not set up for this scale of production” Whatever the long-term outcome for the Scunthorpe steelworks it is almost universally agreed that steel is here to stay “Not a single construction material taken alone can compete with steel today But we can produce low-carbon steel and build better structures UK government ‘confident’ coke supply will keep Scunthorpe blast furnaces running while importing ‘whatever is available’ Families in North Lincolnshire are being invited to join in some egg-citing Easter fun this spring with a brand-new Easter Bunny Trail around Scunthorpe town centre five-foot Easter bunnies have been decorated by local schools and community groups each designed with its own unique and creative twist and unscramble a secret word for a chance to win a toy hamper kindly donated by The Entertainer toy shop in The Foundry The bunnies are being lovingly painted by: Some schools have teamed up with local care homes and community groups to design their bunnies children will find letters to unscramble a hidden word – anyone who solves the puzzle can enter a prize draw to win the toy hamper There’s also a chance to vote for your favourite bunny The school or community group with the most votes will win craft materials as a prize and each group will get to keep their bunny afterwards The Easter Bunny Trail is being funded by the High Street Accelerator Fund and runs from 28 March to 28 April Following last weekend’s disappointing defeat at the hands of Radcliffe the Iron were back on home soil for today’s fixture in the National League North United were recharged and ready to take on a play-off hunting Spennymoor Town side who came into the fixture full of confidence following their recent FA Trophy endeavours With regards to Scunthorpe’s team news for the encounter first-team manager Andy Butler opted to make one singular alteration to the side from the previous match with Irish forward Carlton Ubaezuonu dropping to the bench in what was a straight swap for talented Gambian winger Mo Fadera who was handed just his third start in claret and blue to try and break down the Moors defence As proceedings were set underway at the Attis Arena United immediately got to work grinding down the Spennymoor backline with a relentless period of sustained attack that would present several chances for Scunthorpe’s attacking trio The first of these chances would be crafted by the previously mentioned Fadera who broke down the left-flank with less than five minutes on the clock After completing his signature chop inside to glide beyond a covering defender the winger attempted to ark a finessed effort into the top corner that soared marginally wide of the goalkeepers far post As the game reached the five-minute mark it had been all Scunthorpe and another opportunity would arise for them to give themselves a more than deserved lead This time it would be star man Cal Roberts to test the Moors defence as he was cleverly slotted in behind courtesy of a fantastic through ball With possession landing perfectly at the feet of Roberts inside the area he attempted to flash a clear-cut shot towards Rohan Luthra that failed to trouble the keeper as it flew wide of the mark With United’s onslaught of the Spennymoor goal continuing it was becoming increasingly obvious that the first goal of the game was only a matter of time away It would finally arrive in the 18th minute when Fadera came inside from the left before teeing the ball up for inform right-back Michael Kelly with the ball setting up kindly following his first touch Kelly would strike across the ball with a brilliant daisy cutter that arrowed towards Luthra the effort was hit with such quality that it evaded the shot stoppers desperate attempt to claw the ball away and nestled in the net to give the Iron the lead With half an hour gone the Moors would mount an attempt for an equaliser when left-back Reece Staunton set off on a marauding run down the left-hand side With nothing but green grass to explore Staunton would attempt to hang a pinpoint cross into the penalty area where Corey McKeown’s lurking run at the back post was undetected the ball would find McKeown leaving him with a simple header from close range that he somehow could only steer wide of the post With the half coming to its close the Iron would come close to doubling their lead when a loose ball landed at the feet of Tyler Denton on the edge of the Spennymoor box Denton and Kelly are often competing for their place on the field but on this occasion they were competing for goal of the day as the left-back brought down the ball and sent a stunning volleyed effort at goal that was flying toward the top corner this was until the last gasp intervention of Luthra who palmed the ball away from the target with a fine save When the teams returned to the field of play for the second half the Iron were made to weather the storm in the early exchanges but would return to the front foot rather quickly with another swift forward-thinking attack It was end-to-end from Scunthorpe who defended valiantly to keep the Moors at bay before Denton was released quickly down the left-hand side with just Joe Rowley ahead of him in support he received a sensational lofted pass from Denton to send him in behind and through on goal Still under pressure from the recovering Ben Beals Rowley raced into the penalty area and set himself to pull the trigger this was until Beals produced an outstanding tackle from behind to diffuse the situation the visitors would have their best chance yet to draw level when they were almost rewarded for their persistence in attack It was former Middlesbrough academy man Junior Mondal who tested Ross Fitzsimons as he robbed possession 20 yards from goal and attempted to fire a low driven effort into the bottom corner that was comfortably dealt with by the calm and collected Fitzsimons As the second half progressed the Iron continued to battle against their opponents and refused to surrender the advantage they’d worked so hard to protect Despite doing a lot of hanging on United would reap their rewards in the closing stages by doubling their advantage thanks to a goal from substitute Carlton Ubaezuonu the forward would brilliantly skin his marker with a subtle turn of pace allowing him with the space to let fly As soon as the curling effort left his weaker right-foot the Attis Arena erupted as it always looked like finding the bottom corner as Ubaezuonu scored his fifth league goal of the campaign to send the Scunthorpe faithful into the rafters This would be the final action of the fixture as the hard work and determination of Butler’s Iron shone through in abundance to earn them another massive three points in the hunt for promotion with just three crucial fixtures remaining Chester were defeated on the road at Scunthorpe United in front of a record attendance of 8,274 at the Attis Arena Callum Roberts opened the scoring from close-range in the first half before goals from Michael Kelly and Mo Fadera made the points safe Kurt Willoughby grabbed a consolation late on with a fantastic free-kick that beat Ross Fitzsimons in the home goal The hosts had plenty of possession in the early stages of the game but failed to pose a threat on Jimmy Storer’s goal Kian Scales had the first meaningful attempt of the contest but his long-range strike sailed comfortably wide Calum McIntyre’s men fought back though and grew into the contest and a first opportunity came mid-way through the half but Jack Bainbridge’s shot was blocked after good work from Peers to take the ball past Ross Fitzsimons It was a clash full of endeavour in Lincolnshire as both sides fought in front of a packed crowd Scunthorpe took the lead in the 36th minute as Callum Roberts found himself with space at the back post before he finished with composure past Storer Andy Butler’s side remained resolute for the remainder of the opening period and restricted the Seals throughout Michael Kelly produced a moment of brilliance to double the Iron’s lead just before the hour mark The number three whipped a powerful strike into the top corner from long-range that gave Storer no chance in the Chester goal Iwan Murray tried to provide a route back into the contest with a speculative effort that flew over before Connor Woods went close with a drilled strike that rolled just past the post Dylan Mottley-Henry got his head on the head of a well-delivered Declan Weeks free-kick with just under 15 minutes to play but the effort was held by Fitzsimons The hosts put the result beyond all doubt late on as Mo Fadera twisted and turned before he slotted a clever finish past Storer Kurt Willoughby pulled one back for the Seals in stoppage time with a fantastic free-kick that flew past Fitzsimons into the net Calum McIntyre’s side return to action with an important home clash next Saturday when Curzon Ashton travel to the Deva Stadium The top two in the National League North go head-to-head on Saturday as the Blues travel to Scunthorpe United for what is set to be a record-breaking clash Calum McIntyre’s men bounced back in fine style after a defeat at Chorley with two home wins on the spin a 3-1 victory over Warrington Town and a 1-0 success to overcome Leamington The Iron currently sit two points above of Chester at the summit of the division but suffered their first defeat since early January in midweek at Kidderminster Harriers Over 1,450 Seals are set make the trip to Lincolnshire with the number of overall tickets sold at over 8,000 which would be a new record for the league.league record Scunthorpe have led the way in the National League North at various points this campaign under the stewardship of Andy Butler A run of 13 games unbeaten led up to their midweek disappointment at Aggborough a streak which included impressive victories over Brackley Town Glanford Park has been a fortress for the Iron with just a single home loss to their name this campaign a dramatic defeat to Buxton courtesy of a hat-trick from Cian Coleman Scunthorpe’s 72-year stay in the Football League came to an end in 2022 and financial struggles led to back-to-back relegations before play-off defeat to fellow-Lincolnshire outfit Boston United denied an immediate return to the fifth tier The club featured in the Championship as recently as the 2010-11 campaign Andy Butler has been at the helm at Glanford Park since last summer after the departure of Jimmy Dean Butler was promoted to the managerial role for the Iron’s assault on promotion this campaign The 41-year-old’s first role in management came at Doncaster Rovers Belles in January 2020 A stint of over three years followed before he resigned in order to move to a role in Scunthorpe’s coaching setup Butler made over 100 appearances for Scunthorpe Callum Roberts has undoubtedly been the Iron’s most dangerous weapon this season adding pace and creativity on the right wing with a keen eye for goal The 27-year-old has 26 goal contributions so far this term in 37 appearances A plethora of his 18 goals have come at important times for the Lincolnshire-based side Roberts is a product of the Newcastle United academy and prior to his exploits at Glanford Park he featured for Blyth Spartans Notts County and Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen The forward made two appearances for Newcastle’s first team in the FA Cup and got on the scoresheet once in a 4-2 win over Blackburn Rovers in January 2019 Scunthorpe United | W21 D12 L6 | F63 A27 | Pos: 1st Alfreton Town (A) | W 2-0 | Scorers: Carlton Ubaezuonu Farsley Celtic (A) | W 2-0 | Scorers: Callum Roberts Kidderminster Harriers (A) | L 1-0 | Scorers: None Chester FC | W21 D10 L8 | F61 A37 | Pos: 2nd Chorley (A) | L 3-2 | Scorers: Tom Peers x2 Warrington Town (H) | W 3-1 | Scorers: Tom Peers Leamington (H) | W 1-0 | Scorers: Connell Rawlinson Kick off is 3pm at the Attis Arena on Saturday *Maximum of two under 12’s free per paying adult/concession Subsequent juniors must be paid for at the U18 rate All Under-14s must be accompanied by paying adult/concession Student concession prices must be in full time education FREE match commentary available on Seals Live via our Match Centre: CLICK HERE The game is available to watch on the NLTV DAZN platform: CLICK HERE Match Updates on our Twitter/X page: CLICK HERE HT/FT Updates on Facebook and Instagram: CLICK HERE A full time match report on ChesterFC.com: CLICK HERE