The government is misleading steel workers. The 2 blast furnaces they saved from closure are costing taxpayers £1.3 m a day, an unacceptable rate of loss. The government’s net zero plans require shutting the blast furnaces and replacing with electric arc steel recycling. This intervention looks like a costly delay in closure, not a new policy to renovate and support these older blast furnaces for years to come. Far from saving the jobs, it looks as if they are misleading the workers.
The new part of the policy announced on 18h March was tariffs and quotas on imports. The government that condemned Trump’s tariffs is now in full swing to protectionism. They do not spare a thought for the UK’s steel using industries that now face dearer steel, nor for end customers buying cars or new buildings who face yet another government directed increase in the cost of living.
Meanwhile they pile extra taxes on our energy and on CO 2 generating businesses like steel. Taxpayers will be expected to pay billions in losses. We may have to give the Chinese owners compensation for their bankrupt business because they failed to reach agreement with them when they first took over management of the Chinese owned works. We could well end up paying large redundancy bills when they fire the steelworkers they promised to support. The Chinese owners wanted to close the works and would have been liable for the redundancies if they did so.
It is difficult to comprehend how the government can both promise to save the Blast furnace jobs and follow a policy which says Blast furnaces have to close to be replaced with more automated electric arc recycling plants.
March 20, 2026
The government is misleading steel workers. The 2 blast furnaces they saved from closure are costing taxpayers £1.3 m a day, an unacceptable rate of loss.
I live in Scunthorpe and have a close relationship with the steel industry in working on it then after being made redundant in the 70s from the Redbourn steelwork to working for industry supporting and servicing the remaining works, we have the best virgin steel in the world but not for long because there building a electric arc furnace so they’ll do away with the blast furnaces not that’s what Dakin our mp said yesterday but to follow the liebour mantra of avoiding a answer to a very simple questions a kid of 6 could have answered
March 20, 2026
yes but they are only non profitable due to massive state manipulation of the markets.
if you took the nonsense forcing the price of electricity to be high out.
if you took the silly emissions quotas and tariffs out.
if you took the subsidy to foreign suppliers out.
and so on…
March 20, 2026
As the steelwork are stranded assets surely there’s no compensation to pay. Just call in the Receivers and be done.
I note you don’t mention all these government contracts Importing steel from China which could be supplied domestically.
Is it the Jackdaw field that is weeks from production with a production barge en route but awaiting the sign off by the destroyer in chief Milibrain.
Net stupid rules as we gradually slip under water.
March 20, 2026
Good morning.
I confess to not be following this. But for decades now there distinctly seems to be a lack of central policy and / or planning regarding British industry. Everything has been in and around combating a trace gas of which, even in our industrial heyday, we were not producing that much. Our air since the, Clean Air Act 1956 has never been better. All we are doing is exporting our industries, jobs and profits overseas. The big puzzle to me is, whilst everyone here and in the wider world can see and name such, those in government seem oblivious.
They can’t all be stupid and / or corrupt ?
March 20, 2026
@Mark B – ‘lack’ as the PM 2TK calls it the ‘Plan’
March 20, 2026
The government may well have had a dose of reality since coming to office, but the backbenchers who are away with the fairies will vote down any sensible proposal they make, as will the opposition for political opportunism.
March 20, 2026
They are implementing the UN’s “Level down the West” Agenda.
March 20, 2026
There is an article by Paul Homewood in todays Conservative Women detailing how much subsidy is paid to wind farm operators. These are indexed linked prices agreed during the Coalition government when the Limp dumbs were incharge of energy policy. Then we wonder why UK businesses cannot compete.
March 20, 2026
This is another piece where government policy is described but readers know there will be no voluntary changes to the policy.
There will probably be no famous U-turns either.
Mr. Miliband seems immune from criticism in the media. Very different from his bacon sandwich/Ed stone days.
There may be a change of Prime Minister soon if Angela Rayner’s recent statements are anything to go by.
March 21, 2026
Miliband is a man on a mission. Reality is of no interest to him. The damage he is inflicting is irrelevant, his goal must be attained at all costs.
March 20, 2026
Until the government announces a “reindustrialisation policy” the cost of deindustrialisation will continue to grow.
The ongoing penalty burden/costs of Net Zero will ensure the policy of expensive managed state funded decline is on the agenda.
The bizarre position Net Zero has taken us to is paying the worlds largest steel manufacturer i.e. China,
£billions to shut down our last strategic primary steel production facility that has become untenable due to government energy policy.
This latest state £500 million/year intervention almost makes Chagos derived funding to Mauritius of £350 million/year seem cheap…..
March 20, 2026
Once again today, wind is absent from parade. We are Importing 15% of our electricity at £145 per mwh and gas and nuclear are providing 50%.
Milibrains answer, increase wind and solar. You couldn’t make it up.
March 20, 2026
Indeed – Miliband, Net Zero and this appalling Government are totally deranged – economic, energy and defence suicide on this and in every direction. Now clearly heading for EU dynamic alignment so as to be virtually back in.
The more one listens to the dire BBC and the lefty Trump hating politicians the more I get the impression that do they actually want the war on Iran to fail and end up in total chaos due to their total hatred of Trump derangement condition. This however much it harms US and the world. I remain rather optimistic but it is a large task still.
March 20, 2026
We will not achieve National growth by closing down National industries, we need steel and will do for the foreseeable future. Where is the ambition to rebuild the UK Steel industry as a modern cost competitive industry. We should not close down current capacity until modern facilities are in place.
March 20, 2026
These 50% tariffs on imports, and changed quotas, which will be paid by UK manufacturers and customers thus fuelling inflation, do they apply across the board ? Are they even allowed under the UK/EU FTA ? Or the UK/India FTA ?
March 20, 2026
I understand the argument that tariffs increase prices for end users but if we are to persist with our net zero self flagellation it is only fair that those steel makers exporting to us face the same barriers through increase tariffs to simulate the additional costs imposed on our manufacturers by by this doctrine. After all we either agree with it or we don’t.
We can’t bankrupt our manufacturers by giving competitive advantage to other countries.
So eliminate net zero tariffs in country or apply them through tariffs. Consumers should not be protected from this doctrine if it exists, They need to be able to vote with their feet as to whether or not they agree with it.
March 20, 2026
How much extra World CO2 is produced by the UK Parliament, its Government buying in strategic and security steel for UK defence and infrastructure from the EU?
No warships, no railways without sending UK hard earned taxpayer money to the EU.
A parliament not fit for purpose.
March 20, 2026
Parliament and Government has not been fit for purpose since Mrs Thatcher foolishly appointed the (daft as a brush) John Major with his impressive three O levels to be Chancellor and then even allowed him to join the ERM.
John Major all the way through to Two Tier Kier (with perhaps a partial exemption for Liz Truss (as she was clearly given no chance by the Sunak fans and the BoE incompetence or worse) all these PMs and governments have been truly dire. 36 years of appalling and ever expanding & largely parasitic government!
March 20, 2026
The World is awash with recycled steel, its as ‘cheap as chips’ is the phrase. The UK is unable to compete with those prices. But due to an incompetent unable to think things through Parliament that is how they have destroyed UK Industry.
Reduce World emission by exponentially increasing them, how much of a ‘muppet’ do you have to be to make such decisions?
March 20, 2026
A Parliament dedicated to exporting UK wealth, hard earned money to prop up regimes elsewhere that say thank-you(They don’t care really, and don’t say thank-you, a best they laugh) but don’t give a ‘fig’ about the UK because they are getting stronger and wealthier and get to make the UK all the poorer. One less competitor in a competitive World
The ‘muppets’ have taken over the asylum
March 20, 2026
My old ‘hobby-horse’ we all keep blaming ‘government’. But in the UK government is chosen and kept in place by its parliament – no one else has a say. The majority in this parliament support their chosen government with a passion. It is parliament that holds the government to account and ensures it stays on track with the ‘Plan’
As such it is each individual, each MP in Parliament that personally ‘own’ the directions being taken, taken for the last 30 years or more. They all have the option and have been paid and empowered by the UK taxpayer to change direction – they all refuse. Conclusion they all agree with the destination, the destruction of the UK and the future for its Citizens
The country has put ‘muppets’ in charge
March 20, 2026
We understand the phrase ‘voting for Christmas’ so I find it very amusing there are organisations, ‘Unions’ that fund and sponsor those that have a ‘Plan’ to destroy their members jobs.
March 20, 2026
Can anyone disagree with this?
“We built Nord Stream and supplied gas to Europe. What was wrong with that? Now, there is no Russian gas flowing there. When I ask our experts what Europe is lacking right now, the answer is clear: they’re lacking brains. Not because they are stupid, no, but because economic decisions are now being made by politicians who have no connection to the economy whatsoever.” – President Putin
March 20, 2026
Local elections in May, so for the economically-illiterate Government it’s absolutely essential to mislead the workforce/voters until then.
Virtually everything which has, and is, going wrong with the British economy is because of:
a) the EU (which we are still largely beholden to)
b) The Net Stupid Zero SCAM
c) Two decades of mass immigration combined with welfare-ism
The Establishment Parties of Lib Lab and Con are responsible for all three and none of them have the necessary solutions.
March 20, 2026
@Donna +999
March 20, 2026
+1
March 20, 2026
Apart from lacking steel when hard decisions are required the government lacks any sense of how our economy should be managed. They simply cannot be trusted to do anything worthwhile, filling in with ideology instead of taking a more survival route.
Just look at the latest announcement – £Billions to be invested in Northern cities – they have no real plan, but just like good socialists they throw money at something they want to improve, and hope. Who is to say that Southern cities don’t need that money more than those in Labour’s heartland? Have they done any evaluations – do they even have any goals for all of that money.
Starmer and his crew allow their decisions to be determined by internationalism rather than pragmatism, by cronyism instead of honest evaluation.
They cringe at the possibility of getting involved in Iran, but have no qualms about getting involved with fighting Russia, even if currently it is only as a load of money to support Zelensky, and his ear. If nothing else this demonstrates quite clearly the level of sanity and rationality being applied.
March 20, 2026
How far down the swanny do we have to go before they learn.
March 21, 2026
They will never learn.
March 20, 2026
Every time you think this Labour Government can’t get any worse, it does. It has a complete lack of understanding of the impotance of virgin steel to the UK. Without it, we can’t build tanks, ships, planes, submarines or cars.
The impression you get is that each Minister does whatever they want to do, and they never talk to each other about what they are doing. Also, it seems Ed, destroy the UK, Miliband is away with the fairies, and he and the Chancellor never discuss the impact of his Net Zero Obsession on the economy.
Even the war in the Middle East does not impact their thinking, when anyone intelligent would see it as a wake-up call to develop our own energy sources and redirect money to defence spending. Tying us closer to the EU is also stupidity on steroids. This Government is an absolute shambles!
March 20, 2026
American hubris in the Middle East:
Forgetting the HUGE cost of useless Afghan war in every sense for the USA (and for the UK), let’s consider the hubris of American politicians over Iraq (2) war. Rumsfeld and Cheney said the whole Iraq campaign would be over in 3 months … Well clearly that’s complete nonsense and lots of people know this and predicted this before hand. As it is, the cost to the USA is in the trillions (national debt but affecting US economy in other ways too). How could Rumsfeld and Cheney make such catastrophic errors considering they were relatively intelligent men: HUBRIS
But the difference between Rumsfeld/Cheney and Bush is that at least they:
1) Planned for Iraq War to a degree (to a degree, only, they failed to plan for post the invasion where the real hard work begins)
2) They built up strong relations with allies
3) They tried some form of diplomacy /sanctions / weapons inspections with Iraq (not the same as appeasement – as it turns out, Saddam didn’t have WMD so they failed to go down this route properly as they failed to allow Hans Blix to finish off his weapons inspections).
But Trump has done 1) No planning, 2) Just insulted his allies 3) And no real attempt at diplomacy diplomacy / sanctions / weapons inspections. And he has no excuse. He’s had a perfect case study from Iraq 2 how not to do it. And has done the exact reverse! It’s HUBRIS on a far greater level. The only way out of this for him is to pull out as soon as possible with his tail between his legs. But he has already now made it considerably harder for the USA/West in the future to challenge Iran over nuclear weapons (and time is fast running out) and so has made the Middle East, oil and the world economy considerably more unstable.
March 20, 2026
(Comment on Mossad personnel I cannot verify. ed)
Seemingly they have plenty of other active agents at all levels, the level of intelligence is staggering and together with the accuracy of modern weapons, has enabled the prosecution of the War against the Islamic Republic as the most sophisticated ‘decapitation’ ever mounted.
That means that the population is almost entirely unscathed, although the regime have today again publicly hanged several young Iranians.
The number of USA and IDF losses remain unbelievably small. The population of Israel has been all but immune to attack.
The Ayatollah and Mullahs attacked 15 countries in its immediate response. NOT ONE ISLAMIC COUNTRY HAS SIDED WITH IRAN. Russia has been conspicuous by its absence and silence.
This war is the most well prepared, detailed and carefully calibrated military effort probably ever in history.
I addition to the core horror I. Iran the proxies in Syria and Gaza are being destroyed.
We owe a massive debt of gratitude to great US President, a man who has risked unpopularity to do the right thing (Mrs T being the last great leader to have the moral courage and fortitude to act so), a personally courageous man, and to the towering brilliance and unequalled moral rectitude of indomitable Israel.
Britain has lost its way. We are no longer in control of our own country. A radical political solution is called for because we MUST take our rightful place at the top table once again. There can be no delay.
March 20, 2026
586 BCE: Babylonian Empire conquers Judea and enslaves the Jews.
47 years later:
539 BCE: Persia defeats Babylon and frees the Jews.
1979: The Islamic regime conquers Persia and enslaves the Persians.
47 years later:
2026: Israel is defeating the Islamic regime to free the Persians
It’s almost Biblical.
March 21, 2026
Lynn,
Regarding Israel and Jews, one of my biggest heroes ever is Moses. Described as a man of great faith and HUMILITY.
‘Now the man Moses was very humble/meek, more than all men who were on the face of the earth’ – Numbers 12:3 (Hebrew Bible / Old Testament)
As a Zionist who opposes anti-semitism (every Christian and decent human being must oppose anti-semitism), I hope Israel does well. But I believe it will only do well with the type of virtue seen in the great Moses – the GREATEST Jew and Jewish leader of the Hebrew Bible (not forgetting that even Moses wasn’t perfect and because of his imperfection, the Jews had to remain in the desert for 40 years when God only intended them to remain in the desert for one year. And that the Hebrew Bible tells us that some/many Jewish leaders did not share Moses’ great virtues and they and their people paid a big price for this – for their disobedience to God).
Praise, glory, honour and love to G-d whether you’re Jewish or Christian or something else.
March 21, 2026
‘ I hope Israel does well’ – in a general sense
March 21, 2026
I’m surprised you did not mention Cyrus, after all I did.
March 21, 2026
Yes, I was thinking of Cyrus here! x
(Another hero of mine .. along with Moses mentioned before and the Greek heroes and the Christian ones – St Peter and St Paul etc – and The ultimate hero or Hero – The King of Kings of the New Testament (which is fitting to say as we approach the great joyful and hopeful and triumphant feastday of Easter).
March 22, 2026
Khamenei: “There is nothing to be proud of Iran’s ancient history, such as Cyrus [the Great]. That history is false and illusory.” 👇
This Islamic regime is anti-Iranian and anti-Iran’s glorious history, as he explicitly and shamelessly said.
What does that remind you of?
March 21, 2026
How much more would you accept seeing petrol and diesel to go up by, Lynn? Please name a figure.
Or is it ‘mission accomplished’ now?
March 22, 2026
I don’t care what the temporary spike is.
March 20, 2026
Ed M,
Yes.
4) Furthermore Bush did not campaign on ‘No more forever wars’.
5) Bush did not seem to be quite so under the control of Israel – despite General Wesley Clarks seven wars revelation.
6) There was no Epstein issue in the background. ( Apparently Epstein had plans to negotiate big fees for the unfreezing of Libyan funds when the ‘conflict’ there ended with Gaddafi’s death.)
MAGA promises seem to have gone to the wayside and been replaced with a Trump cult. Trump now operates on ‘L’etat c’est moi’ principles.
I am not sure how this will work in the longer term. So far, most of the bombing seems to be directed at Iran. Straits of Hormuz could be a long term issue along with inflation and the role of the dollar as a reserve currency.
Depleted munitions and public reaction in America may also have consequences.
March 21, 2026
@Peter
Well said.
Because of what is going on now, seems more likely now that Iran will get a nuclear bomb.
If the USA had stayed cool with Saddam, they could have contained his regime without him getting a nuclear bomb. Instead, with Saddam gone, Iran became stronger – and more of a threat.
And if the USA had stayed cool with Iraq, it could have done the same with Iran, diminishing any chance of them getting a nuclear bomb.
It’s in our moral/ethical interests to help Israel but also our geopolitical ones too.
But when leaders act out of hubris (and panic) instead humility – the humility of the great Moses (described as the most humble man on earth – his greatest virtue as a Jewish leader – and without doubt, the greatest leader in Jewish history), then chaos and tragedy ensues (common sense tells us this as does the Hebrew Bible / OT).
March 21, 2026
Ending a war is not starting one.
Indeed it is a peace initiative.
March 20, 2026
144 ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK 19th March 2026 …
March 21, 2026
Starmer’s Gang lacks steel! I hate to think what damage and destruction it would inflict on the country if it had steel. Starmer’s Gang is ideologically opposed to everything that would be good for Britain as an independent sovereign nation state.