Labour leader calls for a long term strategy to safeguard the future of Scunthorpe steelworks

Sir Keir Starmer visited the town yesterday

Labour leader calls for a long term strategy for Scunthorpe steelworks
Author: Andy MarshPublished 7th Apr 2023

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a long term plan to safeguard the future of Scunthorpe steelworks.

He was in the town yesterday and met people at the Arc community centre on the Westcliffe estate.

The Government has said they're committed to the industry and are currently in talks about supporting British Steel.

But Sir Keir thinks they could do more.

We asked about the issue during yesterday's trip:

He said:" We need a strong underpinning plan."

"Firstly we need support for energy intensive businesses like steel because their bills have gone through the roof and that should have been put in place a long time ago."

"We need a plan to transition to "green steel" so we're not just supporting the jobs in the here and now but nurturing the jobs of the future and the Government hasn't put those plans in place."

"Anything that saves jobs now is of course welcome but there's got to be a medium and long term plan for steel in Scunthorpe so we don't have this conversation repeated every few years and we have a long term sustainable plan."