RENEWED calls for the UK Government to take urgent action to support the Welsh steel industry following job losses at Liberty Steel in Newport and the mothballing of the city's Orb Electrical Steels plant were made this week.
Newport East MP Jessica Morden attended meetings with the UK Government Steel Minister Nadahim Zahawi this week to put forward the case for a steel sector deal.
She also organised a meeting with Welsh Secretary Simon Hart, attended by other Welsh MPs with constituency ties to steel, to discuss the challenges facing the industry in Wales and call for Government action.
Jessica Morden MP with (from left to right) Sarah Champion MP (Rotherham), Steel Minister Nadhim Zahawi MP and Shadow Steel Minister Gill Furniss MP, at a meeting to discuss the need for UK Government action on steel
“UK steel must be at the heart of an industrial strategy," said Ms Morden.
"It’s a tragedy that Newport’s Orb works - the only plant in the UK making the electrical steels which could be used for electrical vehicles - was mothballed before Christmas, and last week there were further job losses at Liberty in Newport, which has been at the forefront of GreenSteels technology.
Jessica Morden speaking during the debates on the Queen’s Speech this week
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“During meetings with Government ministers this week with other Welsh and steel MPs, I’ve emphasised that we need urgent action on some of the structural issues the sector faces which are impacting on investment.
"These include reducing the price disparity between the UK and European competitors on industrial energy costs - UK steel producers currently pay 62 per cent more than their German counterparts and a staggering 80 per cent more than French producers, which hampers competitiveness.
"We also need radical action on procurement, updating guidelines to ensure that we maximise the use of UK steel in infrastructure projects, and it’s imperative that the UK Government secures a good deal for steel in negotiations with the EU.
"Forty-five per cent of all UK steel produce is exported and is vulnerable to any deterioration with our existing trading relationships with EU countries and the rest of the world.”
Jessica Morden and fellow Welsh MPs from left to right Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent), Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon), Nia Griffith (Llanelli), Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth), Ruth Jones (Newport West), Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen) and Mark Tami (Alyn and Deeside) ahead of a meeting with Welsh Secretary Simon Hart MP at the Wales Office
She added “Looking ahead to the Spring Budget, the inclusion of a sector deal for steel would be a huge vote of confidence in an industry which needs and deserves one. I’ll be keeping up the pressure on the Government on this.”
Ms Morden also spoke in the Commons during this week’s debates on the Queen’s Speech to highlight the enormous potential of Orb in Newport.
“Orb steelworks - the only producer of electrical steels in the country - was mothballed just before Christmas. With investment, the plant could provide an end-to-end supply chain for the electric vehicles industry so that we would not have to import this kind of steel," she said.
"It is absolutely crucial that the Government step up and support our steel industry, which could play a key part in a green industrial revolution.”
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