London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Shapps steps up talks with British Steel-owner as job cuts loom

Shapps steps up talks with British Steel-owner as job cuts loom

Grant Shapps, the business secretary, met senior Jingye Group executives on Wednesday to discuss its request for hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer funding.

Grant Shapps, the business secretary, has held a further round of talks with the Chinese owner of British Steel as the spectre of redundancies looms over one of the UK's biggest industrial manufacturers.

Sky News has learnt that Mr Shapps met top executives from Jingye Group on Wednesday to discuss its request for state aid to help decarbonise Britain's second-largest steel producer.

It comes little more than a month since the newly appointed business secretary met Jingye chiefs amid suggestions that the Chinese group wants roughly £500m of taxpayer aid to avert the threat of blast furnace closures and mass redundancies at British Steel's Scunthorpe base.

Jingye, which took control of an insolvent British Steel in 2020, has in recent months begun making preparations for the permanent closure one of the plant's two blast furnaces.

Such a move would entail as many as 2,000 redundancies at the company, dealing a blow to Britain's industrial manufacturing capability and the local economy.

Mr Shapps' predecessor, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who lasted just weeks as business secretary under Ms Truss, opened formal talks with Jingye in October about the provision of governmentfunding to help British Steel decarbonise.

One of the pre-conditions set by Whitehall for the talks was that Jingye would not cut jobs at British Steel while the discussions were ongoing.

Tata Steel, which is the biggest player in the UK steel sector, has also requested financial help from the government.

British Steel employs about 4,000 people, with thousands more jobs in its supply chain dependent upon the company.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) declined to comment, while British Steel has previously said: "We are continuing formal talks with the UK Government to help us overcome the global challenges we currently face.

"The government understands the significant impact the economic slowdown, rising inflation and exceptionally high energy and carbon prices are having on businesses like ours and we look forward to working together to build a sustainable future."



Industrial consumers of energy have complained this year that soaring prices are imperilling their ability to continue operating.

The request for financial support from Jingye poses a political headache for ministers, given the scale of the potential job losses which might result from a refusal to provide taxpayer aid.

An agreement to provide substantial taxpayer funding to a Chinese-owned business, however, would inevitably provoke outrage among Tory critics of Beijing.

China's role in global steel production, after years of international trade rows about dumping, would make any subsidies even more contentious.

In May 2019, the Official Receiver was appointed to take control of the company after negotiations over an emergency £30m government loan fell apart.

British Steel had been formed in 2016 when India's Tata Steel sold the business for £1 to Greybull Capital, an investment firm.

As part of the deal that secured ownership of British Steel for Jingye, the Chinese group said it would invest £1.2bn in modernising the business during the following decade.

The Telegraph recently reported that only a fraction of that promised commitment had materialised.

Jingye's purchase of the company, which completed in the spring of 2020, was hailed by Boris Johnson, the then prime minister, as assuring the future of steel production in Britain's industrial heartlands.
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Maintains Non-negotiable Stance on Falklands and Gibraltar
Controversy Surrounds A75 Road Closures and 96-Mile Diversion
Crunch Time in Conservative Leadership Race
Keir Starmer's Challenges in the Wake of Sue Gray's Departure
Coroner Urges UK Government to Improve Severe ME Care
Starmer Calls for De-escalation in Middle East Amid Heightened Tensions
Chancellor Reeves Decides Against Pension Tax Hike
UK Advocates Urge Tobacco Windfall Tax and Permanent Levy
Starmer's Chief of Staff Plans Major Overhaul at Downing Street
Key Labour Thinktank Advocates New Powers for Mayors
Rachel Reeves Considers New Fiscal Rules for Infrastructure Spending
Great Britain Faces Lowest Winter Blackout Risk in Four Years
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Russian Medic Arrested for Alleged Satanism and Promoting LGBTQ Rights
UK: Chagos Islands Deal Was About Securing US Military Base
RT has converted key archive speeches delivered by Putin into spoken English using the help of AI
Walmart is now selling a new book titled The Achievements of Kamala Harris—and all the pages are blank.
Bill Gates: "6% of global emissions are cows... You can either fix the cows to stop them farting, or you can make beef without the cow."
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
The Allure of Browsing Online Property Portals: A Modern Obsession
Suspected Acid Attacker in London Bailed Amid Investigation
Tragic Channel Crossing: Four Migrants Killed
Labour Cabinet Ministers' Stances on Assisted Dying
The Influence of Tory Members on Party Leadership
UK Plans Major Overhaul of Employment Rights
UK Food Industry Lobbying Delays £1.7 Billion Plastic Packaging Tax
New UK Tipping Law Sparks Confusion Among Restaurant Staff
Debate Heats Up Over Assisted Dying Legislation in the UK
New Personalized Cancer Therapies Undergo Extensive Clinical Study
UAE Energy Minister: OPEC+ Doing a 'Noble' Job in Balancing Oil Market
Call for Wealth Tax Hikes to Curb Reform UK's Rise
Labour MP Supports Chancellor's Rejection of Wealth Tax
Debate Intensifies Over VAT Introduction for UK Private Schools
Israel Plans Retaliation Against Iran Amid Rising Regional Tensions
Norwegian Police Conclude 'Spy Whale' Hvaldimir's Death Due to Infection
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Greta Thunberg Detained in Brussels During Protest Against Fossil Fuel Subsidies
UK Returns Chagos Islands to Mauritius After Decades-Long Dispute
UK Reaffirms Commitment to Overseas Territories Amid Falkland Islands Dispute
France's Silent March Supports Gisèle Pelicot: A Shocking Case
Robert Jenrick's Leadership Prospects: Challenges from the Right
Declining Interest in Grammar Schools Amid VAT Concerns
Emirates Bans Pagers and Walkie-Talkies on All Flights
Malaysian Father Burns Son's Motorbike to Prevent Racing Accidents
Donald Trump Urges Israel to Hit Iran's Nuclear Facilities First
Private Schools Face Enrollment Decline Due to Impending VAT on Fees
Wetherspoon’s CEO Criticizes Smaller Beer Glass Proposal and Licensing Hour Reduction
Starmer Defends UK Chagos Islands Decision Amidst Tory Criticism
Naomi Campbell Banned from Charity Work After Fashion for Relief Mismanagement
×