In an extraordinary move, the UK government has recalled Parliament for a rare Saturday sitting to push through emergency legislation aimed at preventing the collapse of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the drastic intervention after negotiations with Chinese owner Jingye Group failed to secure the future of the struggling steelworks.
The emergency bill grants ministers sweeping powers to take control of operations at the Scunthorpe site, overriding decisions by Jingye which had declared the plant’s blast furnaces “no longer financially sustainable.” While stopping short of immediate full nationalization, Starmer emphasized that “all options remain on the table” for the government to take permanent control of the strategically vital steel producer.
The urgency stems from dwindling raw material supplies that could force the plant to shut down within weeks. The legislation would allow the government to secure essential supplies, direct company operations, and protect workers who defy closure orders from Jingye management. Industry Minister Sarah Jones revealed that while the preferred solution remains a private-sector rescue, no viable investors have come forward to save the loss-making operation.
Jingye, which acquired British Steel in 2020, claims to have invested £1.2 billion but continues to hemorrhage £700,000 daily. The Scunthorpe plant’s potential closure threatens 4,500 direct jobs and thousands more in the supply chain, with Starmer calling steelmaking “essential for our future” and vowing to protect “British jobs and economic security.”
The Saturday session marks only the sixth time since World War II that Parliament has convened on a weekend, highlighting the crisis’s severity. The government aims to pass the legislation in a single day to prevent production halts. If successful, this temporary takeover could pave the way for permanent nationalization through subsequent legislation should private rescue efforts fail.
The move represents one of the most significant industrial interventions by a British government in decades, underscoring steel’s critical role in national infrastructure, defense, and energy transition projects. As the crisis unfolds, all eyes remain on Westminster’s unprecedented weekend session and the fate of Britain’s last remaining blast furnace steelworks.
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