MoD under fire for importing eco-friendly steel rather than buying British
Net zero wokery blamed for betraying thousands of skilled workers
DANIELLE SHERIDAN, DEFENCE EDITOR
The Ministry of Defence has come under fire for importing steel rather than buying British.
Potential closures of blast furnaces at Port Talbot and Scunthorpe have raised concerns that the UK could become reliant on foreign nations for steel, as it plans to switch to more eco-friendly electric arc furnaces.
The electric arc type works by funnelling a current through electrodes into the furnace, which is less energy-intensive than blast furnace production and removes the need for high carbon-emitting coke to be used.
In a written parliamentary question, Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, asked the Government to address how it was ensuring the security of steel supply for critical infrastructure and value for money in the purchase of steel in the transitional period.
The Department for Business and Trade admitted that “neither Tata Steel nor British Steel are currently critical suppliers into UK defence programmes”.
It SAId that as the transition of Port Talbot takes place, “Tata will be importing steel slab and coil for a temporary period whilst the new electric arc furnace (EAF) is being built”. However, the department stressed: “We continue to prioritise engagement with British Steel.”
It added: “Neither Tata Steel nor British Steel are currently critical suppliers into UK defence programmes. High quality steel, including for the Royal Navy’s new Dreadnaught class submarines, is already being made by EAF steel producers.”
Tata Steel’s Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales
Mr Tice accused the Government of succumbing to “wokery” over its pledge to get to net zero despite the impact to the UK’s steel industry.
He said: “The MoD is betraying thousands of skilled steel workers up and down the country by favouring woke net zero steel from overseas.”
Mr Tice questioned why the MoD did not buy steel from Tata and British Steel, the two main steel companies in the UK and were instead buying from overseas.
“We should be buying British,” he added. “That starts from the Government, whether it’s food or steel, we should buy British. Net zero wokery has led to the loss of business and loss of jobs because decarbonisation means deindustrialisation.”
The UK has committed to legally binding net zero targets to stop adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2050.
In September Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, agreed to a deal with the Indian owners of the Port Talbot steelworks that would lead to thousands of job losses.
At the time Greg Smith, the Conservative shadow business and trade minister, said the deal was indicative of “the new Labour playbook: scrap jobs, scrap production and become reliant on higher-polluting countries”.
An MoD spokesperson said: “The UK steel industry plays a vital role in defence, to both our national security and economic growth, including being used in the production of warships and submarines.
“This Government recently signed the Trinity House Agreement between the UK and Germany, which will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels for the first time in 10 years, using British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters.
“As part of our Defence Industrial Strategy, we will ensure a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains, including steel, across the whole of the UK.”
This article (MoD under fire for importing eco-friendly steel rather than buying British) was created and published by The Telegraph and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author Danielle Sheridan
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply