Nigel Farage warns Sir Keir Starmer has just THREE days to save British steelmaking from collapse
SIR Keir Starmer has been given just three days to save Britain’s last blast furnaces – or watch UK steelmaking die, Nigel Farage has warned.
The Reform boss called for the “immediate nationalisation” of the British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant.
Workers at the factory also revealed unless there is a firm commitment to buy raw materials by Friday, the furnaces will go cold and cannot be restarted.
It comes after Chinese owners Jingye have cancelled key orders for iron ore and coal as they prepare to shut up shop – putting up to 2,700 jobs at risk.
The Prime Minister today insisted “all options are on the table” amid reports he is considering nationalising the company.
He added: “We’re doing everything we can to ensure there is a bright future for Scunthorpe.”
But speaking from the steps of the threatened site, Mr Farage fumed: “If the Government don’t act by Friday, that is the end of steelmaking in our country.
“It has to happen before the end of this week. The orders for these primary commodities have to go in.”
Reform UK‘s Deputy Leader Richard Tice also unveiled a broader plan for UK steel, including taking over Liberty Steel’s idle electric arc furnaces in Rotherham and merging them with Scunthorpe into a single state-backed operation.
He added: “If the Chinese are giving up on British Steel, well the British people do not want to give up on British Steel. Let’s use this as an opportunity.”
Industry minister Sarah Jones has hosted an emergency meeting of the Steel Council with bosses from Tata, Liberty, and British Steel, alongside union leaders and the UK Steel trade body.
She sought to reassure the sector that the first payments from a Network Charging Compensation scheme – worth £15million in May and over £300million in 2025 – will soon start flowing.
Tory chief Kemi Badenoch said nationalising British Steel must be a “last resort”.
Jingye, which took over British Steel in 2020, had demanded a £1billion bailout to help it go green – but threatened to pull the plug when the government offered half that amount.
Mr Farage said there was no point in the Government upping its offer of financial support to Jingye.
He said: “I’m not sure they even want it. They seem to be quite happy to close it, quite frankly.”