Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice has delivered a stern statement to the Government if it does not put a stop to blast furnace closures.
Thousands of UK workers fear they are at risk of being laid off before Christmas as British Steel prepares to bring forward its closure plans.
“I will literally eat their lunch if they shut them down,” says Richard Tice. British Steel, owned by Chinese company Jingye, announced in 2023 that it will close down its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, putting over 2,000 jobs at risk.
“This Labour Government must not dare to entertain the closure of the last UK blast furnaces in Scunthorpe,” he adds.
They will be replaced by two electric arc furnaces – one at Scunthorpe and one at Teeside. Bosses at British steel have insisted the move is needed to create a ‘clean, green and sustainable business’.
Electric arc furnaces offer the ability to recycle scrap steel using clean electricity, unlike blast furnaces, which rely on coal. However Reform UK’s deputy leader insists the move “will make not a blind bit of a difference to the environment”.
New polling from JL partners shows the public have a more positive view on Reform UK than the Government. And now the five-man party have their sights set on gaining ‘safe’ Labour seats in the next General Election.
Speaking to the Express.co.uk, Tice said: “We at Reform will destroy them at the polls and we will take dozens of Labour heartland seats if they shut them down,
“Just five of us have made such noise and [are] such a threat to them that I don’t think the Government will dare allow what they have said will happen, to happen,
“We have a five point plan which will preserve and protect the future of British steelmaking.”
The Reform MP held a debate in Westminster hall to hold the Government to account after British Steel brought forward the closures where Tice outlined his plan.
The first point is to accelerate the steel strategy to release before Christmas, with the second point being to guarantee that Scunthorpe blast furnaces remain operational with the Government taking a stake in British Steel, thirdly Tice proposed a scrap of all current and proposed carbon taxes.
The fourth point is to stop Chinese steel dumping with substantial tariffs on imported steel and the fifth and final point is to ensure the UK public sector projects buy British manufactured steel as a matter of course.