• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Brexit ‘madness’ could ruin UK steel industry, ministers warned

A government body has recommended that protections inherited from the EU to protect UK steel producers are ended.

Henry Goodwin by Henry Goodwin
2021-06-20 10:18
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Brexit “madness” could deal a hammer blow to the struggling British steel industry, as a fresh row brews over pans to allow more cheap foreign imports in the UK.

A number of Tory MPs in ‘Red Wall’ seats – supported by steel industry leaders and the Labour Party – are reportedly furious that a government body has recommended that protections inherited from the EU to protect UK steel producers be ended imminently.

Labour will stage a Commons debate and vote on the issue on Monday in an effort to kill off the plans, The Observer reported – with the party hoping to win backing from Tory backbenchers angry at the harm cheap imports would do to their steel-producing areas.

Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, said the decision to “terminate steel safeguards for half of the product categories exposes the UK’s steel sector to uncontrolled surges in imports and is a hammer blow.

“The UK government is squandering the opportunity to make Brexit work for domestic industry and is letting an arm’s length body harm the British steel sector, not support it,” he added. “We want to work with the government to level up Britain, instead they are levelling down our steel sector.”

Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, told The Observer: “The significance of this decision for our steel industry cannot be overstated. UK Steel has described the government’s proposal as ‘madness’, and ministers must listen. If the government slashes import protection, it risks opening the floodgates to cheap steel imports, undercutting British steel.

“We should be using every tool at our disposal to support our steel industry yet the government is pursuing the opposite course. This is the opposite of what the government promised they would do after Brexit.”

RelatedPosts

Tories pledge to get tough on crime – as one of their own MPs remains in custody over rape allegations

NINETY-FOUR per cent of Brexit-backing Express readers say ‘this is not what I voted for’

Clip of Ed Miliband tearing Boris Johnson to pieces over the NI Protocol has gone viral – again

Full list of MPs who voted down a windfall tax on gas giants that could hand families £600

The row exposes growing unease with the government’s post-Brexit trade plans. Last week, UK farmers claimed ministers had betrayed them after the announcement of a trade deal with Australia, which they fear will undercut them by bringing in cheaper, low-quality meat.

Boris Johnson insisted the pact, the first to be negotiated from scratch since Brexit, will benefit British farmers.

Downing Street said products like cars, Scotch whisky and confectionary will be cheaper to sell to Australia because of the tariff-free agreement, while British farmers will be protected by a cap on tariff-free imports for 15 years.

However, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has called for more information on the protections for UK farming businesses, while also raising concerns over possible compromises on food standards.

Labour has also accused the government of “screwing over our farmers” after Australia’s trade ministry revealed that tariff-free protection periods would stop in five years for dairy products, and after 10 years for beef and lamb.

NFU president Minette Batters said in a statement: “We will need to know more about any provisions on animal welfare and the environment to ensure our high standards of production are not undermined by the terms of this deal.

“The ultimate test of this trade deal will be whether it contributes to moving farming across the world onto a more sustainable footing, or whether it instead undermines UK farming and merely exports the environmental and animal welfare impact of the food we eat.”

Related: Dido Harding vows to end NHS reliance on foreign workers

Tags: Brexit

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

EU workers contribute £2,300 more in taxes than the average Brit

Interactive timeline reveals daily routines of online geniuses around the world

These are some of the pictures that won an international photo competition

Team can learn from mistakes – Arsenal star

Facebook unveil plan to merge Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger

Vodka Revolution

Ex Charlton Athletic footballer in court over alleged multi-million pound fraud

NHS chiefs blasted for warning ambulance crews that they may lose their meal breaks

We’ve got to stop thinking “craft” means “small”

Callous thieves ransack a blind couple’s house in “targeted” burglary

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.