British Steel updates: Chinese bosses ‘tried to enter critical areas of plant’ ahead of Commons debate as cops scrambled
BRITISH Steel workers prevented Chinese executives from its owner gaining access to key areas of the steelworks today, according to reports.
Police were called to the Scunthorpe plant in north Lincolnshire at 8.30am.
Sources told The Times representatives from British Steel’s Chinese owners Jingye came to the site at around 8am.
The newspaper reported workers mounted a “heroic” move to block their way to the offices.
They allegedly feared the delegation was trying to force the closure of the plant.
A Humberside Police spokesperson said: “Officers were in attendance at British Steel in Scunthorpe at 8.30am this morning (Saturday, April 12) following a suspected breach of the peace.
“Upon attending, conducting checks and speaking to individuals in the area, there were no concerns raised and no arrests were made.”
It comes as MPs approved plans to save British Steel‘s Scunthorpe blast furnaces after an extraordinary sitting of the Commons on Saturday.
Emergency legislation giving the Government the power to instruct British Steel to keep the plant open passed the Commons unopposed.
It will now be debated by the Lords as the Government attempts to get the powers on the statute book in a single day.
Ministers took the unusual step of recalling Parliament from its Easter recess to sit on Saturday after negotiations with Jingye appeared to break down.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds accused the company of failing to negotiate “in good faith”.
It decided to stop buying enough raw materials to keep the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe going.
He told MPs: “We could not, will not and never will stand idly by while heat seeps from the UK’s remaining blast furnaces without any planning, any due process or any respect for the consequences.
“And that is why I needed colleagues here today.”
But the Conservatives said the Government should have acted sooner.
Alex Burghart accused ministers of making “a total pig’s breakfast of this whole arrangement”.
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said the Government was seeking a “blank cheque”.
While Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Labour had “botched” a deal she had negotiated with British Steel while business secretary.
But she was unable to provide details of the deal saying negotiations were still ongoing when last year’s election was called.
But she added it “would have succeeded better” than Mr Reynolds’s plan.
What happens next?
By Jonathan Rose, Senior News Reporter
THE Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill is now moving to the other House after passing its third reading.
All bills must pass through both Houses of Parliament.
If one House approves a bill, and it passes to the next House for approval but amendments are made, it will need to pass back to the original House – with the amendments made – to be voted on again.
Any changes (amendments) made have to be agreed by both Houses.
The King – in his role as head of state – gives royal assent to the bill.
This is the final stage of the bill’s progress in Parliament and is essentially the monarch’s official approval.
The bill will then become an Act of Parliament.