Parliament was recalled on Saturday to debate the British Steel bill which the government hops will save the Scunthorpe plant from closure.
By late afternoon the bill had passed the Commons and was then passed to the House of Lords where several amendments were debated. The bill is now passed by both houses and at is awaiting Royal Assent.
The government has officials standing by ready to take over and run the plant and is aiming to stop the Chinese owner from closing the blast furnaces.
The Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, addressed the House of Commons at an extraordinary sitting called on Saturday 12 April.
Mr Reynolds said said: “As honourable members will know, since taking office this government has been negotiating in good faith with British Steel’s owners, Jingye.
“We have worked tirelessly to find a way forward, making a generous offer of support to British Steel that included sensible, common sense conditions to protect the workforce, to protect taxpayers’ money, and create a commercially viable company for the future.
“Despite our offer to Jingye being substantial, they wanted much more, frankly, an excessive amount.”
Mr Reynolds continued to explain the background: “But over the last few days, it became clear that the intention of Jingye was to refuse to purchase sufficient raw materials to keep the blast furnaces running.
“In fact, their intention was to cancel and refuse to pay for existing orders.
“The company would therefore have irrevocably and unilaterally closed down primary steel making at British Steel.”
Jingye denied access
The BBC reported earlier that officials from Jingye the Chinese owners of British Steel could not get into the site today, and appeared to be blocked by steel workers, although Humberside Police confirmed no arrests were made.
Tracy Gilbert MP for Edinburgh North and Leith said:“Back in February, the Prime Minister announced £200 million to secure the future of Grangemouth, protecting thousands of good jobs as part of our Plan for Change. What the Government are doing in Scunthorpe now is no different. It’s about protecting the backbone of our industrial economy and standing up for working people across the UK.”
Dr Scott Arthur, MP for Edinburgh South West, said as he got on to the train in Waverley on Saturday morning that this was only the sixth time Parliament has sat on a Saturday since the Second World War. He said: “This is perhaps a sign of how seriously the government is taking the situation in Scunthorpe.”
Stephen Flynn SNP leader at Westminster questioned why British Steel was worthy of saving in this manner when the government had not done the same for the INeos plant in Grangemouth.
That was disputed by MP for Edinburgh East, Chris Murray MP who tweeted:
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