YouSaid · the spoken record
Peter Kyle
We hold 66 passages that may be Peter Kyle’s. We do not publish them until we can confirm who spoke. See the correction.
On the record 2015–2026
hansard · podcast
Every line below is reproduced as it was said and credited to the record it came from, and links to that record wherever it can be linked. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections
“On CO 2 and the issues that are in the news, six months ago, within days of becoming Secretary of State, I mothballed Ensus up in Teesside—a fantastic company. I have had to un-mothball it, and I did so in the first couple of days of the strikes in Iran to ensure resilience in key parts of our economy. That was leaked; we do not normally comment on leaks, but that is out there now. These are the things that I am doing. I am being bold and creative, and am acting in the interests of the whole of society and the economy to make sure that we have the resilience to carry on doing business, and come out of this with growth in our economy.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Of course, as we move forward, we will make payments for costs that may have been incurred this year. Let me be really clear, however, about how those businesses are working. Most of the businesses—I include the business that was on the Radio 4 “Today” programme this morning; Sharon from Tees Components up in Teesside was on the programme—have entered into a contract with fixed prices for the coming year. Most companies in the categories that we are targeting, which have manufacturing processes in which electricity is a high-component cost, are either hedging, or are in contracts, so that they have some stability into the future. We have designed a scheme that takes that into account, will be there when they need it, and supplies support for costs that they would have had this year.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I could have listened to the hon. Lady for much longer, because she is listing important areas across the sector. I am very aware of the challenges and opportunities in an economy that is full of great enterprise and a lot of highly profitable businesses doing great things with great entrepreneurs. Listening to her, we would think that the economy was not full of people and businesses that are thriving. She only focuses on the challenges. Let me be clear on how BICS happened. It came about through consultation with the very businesses that the hon. Lady is asking us to listen to. They have been part of designing the system. We will release and implement a targeted scheme that will have maximum benefit. We will announce over the summer an eligibility checker, so that businesses can see their eligibility for the scheme.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his work when he was in my Department, upon which I seek to continue. He is right to point to the closure of the fertiliser plant in, I believe, 2023. Those are the sorts of things that have stripped out resilience from our economy and society and which I have sought to rebuild in turbulent times. The automotive sector will qualify for the BIC scheme and other high energy- intensive industries outside automotive will also benefit from the supercharger before it does. I regularly meet automotive industry figures, and the Department is deeply engaged with the sector. He will know some of the outcomes of those conversations and that it is a sector that has this Government and me on its side.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s thoughtful words. I can assure her that the ceramics sector and the subsectors she mentions are in my mind. I said in my statement that the Chancellor will set out in the near future the approach that we will take for industries that have been put into distress as a result of the action in the middle east—a war that we did not start, but a war that we are having to respond to. I am happy to stay closely in touch with her and the industries for which she is being a magnificent voice to ensure that we get any response right.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There has never been a steel strategy or a quality piece of strategic thinking from the previous Government, which is why the strategy I announced was universally welcomed by the sector.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The scheme we have designed is aimed at manufacturing. The figure the hon. Member quotes is for all businesses in the UK, whereas this is one scheme aimed at competitiveness within the manufacturing sector. I hope that when he reflects on his comments, he does not expect us to announce a scheme for every business in all circumstances. That is what Liz Truss did, wasting enormous amounts of money—a third of those billions went into the pockets of high earners. We need to be targeted and growth orientated and support the great businesses out there. I have invested £2.5 billion into steel. I am modernising steel and protecting it where I have to. I am proud of the strategy we have.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When it comes to the long-term regeneration of the Potteries and the ceramics industry, as I have said already, I am willing to meet the industry itself to listen to and learn from their insight and the challenges they face, but also the opportunities they have as we rebuild our economy after the damage caused by the previous Administration and ensure that we get growth back into our economy.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for his passionate intervention. I understand the pressing needs and am fully aware of the issues facing Denby, which is partly, I believe, in his constituency. I have been in touch with the regional mayor about it numerous times since that situation unfolded. I certainly wish the workforce well and hope that the interventions and the partnership that the Government have been providing alongside the regional mayor will mean that a buyer can be found, which I am convinced is perfectly possible.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the shadowy Business Minister for his greatest hits performance for the House today. He says that supporting 10,000 businesses is nothing. I can tell him that it means a hell of a lot for those businesses getting that support, because it will mean a 25% reduction in their energy costs. It is being paid for, of course, by reducing some of the tariff charges and by some of the other Government schemes that offer relief. It is also paid for partly by the Exchequer, which is funded by people who pay their taxes.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am extremely grateful for my hon. Friend’s representations and reflections. I can assure her that the BIC scheme is being calculated on the electricity intensity threshold. It is for those manufacturing businesses that have electricity as a significant part of their costs of doing business. In the summer, we will announce an eligibility checker so that every business can go and check their own eligibility for the scheme going forward. I am keen to stay in touch with her because her area around Derby, of course, is part of the manufacturing renaissance, creating great opportunities for not just her region, but the whole country.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am thankful for the right hon. Member’s acknowledgment of the work we are doing to invest in Wales—not only the small modular reactor, which we are already starting to construct the site for, but the investment in two AI growth zones. This is a Government that, since we came into office, take investment into Wales and the reindustrialisation of Wales incredibly seriously, and both those things are starting now. On food and agriculture, I spoke just yesterday with the Environment Secretary. We are in touch over these issues and sit in the same committees where we talk about all the specific challenges as we scenario plan for impacts that may or may not result from the conflict in the middle east. That work will continue, and she can rest assured that farmers, alongside other key sectors in our economy, are at the forefront of our mind.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Embedding the foundations for growth in our economy is what hospitality needs more than anything else. Of course, I meet UKHospitality regularly and I have roundtables with the sector. I represent Hove, which has a thriving hospitality sector, where I meet people on the frontline all the time. I always enjoy engaging with my hon. Friend on these issues too.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend gives voice to the hospitality sector, and she is absolutely right: the hospitality sector is important for so many reasons. For many people, it is the most interaction they have with the frontline of the economy. It is the place people go for light relief and fun—and, my goodness, we deserve more fun as a country more often. It is also often the first part of the pathway into the economy, because many people’s first job is in hospitality. I recognise that hospitality is an incredibly important part of our economy, for all those reasons. What the hospitality sector needs first and foremost is economic growth, so that people have more money in their pockets to spend. That is why today’s news that we reached economic growth of 0.5% in the quarter leading up to the end of February is so significant.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the hon. Gentleman, who is a friend, for his kind words. We have designed a scheme that is for Great Britain, but we have not forgotten Northern Ireland—I do not think he would expect me to forget Northern Ireland in any aspect of my work. We are working with the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure that we have a scheme that is appropriate and matches the scale of the opportunities that BICS presents to Great Britain, so that all parts of the United Kingdom can benefit in one way or another and the benefits are felt by those fantastic manufacturers he mentioned.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The fact that Ensus was mothballed and not allowed to go bust shows that we are thinking very deeply and carefully about resilience and economic growth, and not just for today but for the long term.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend speaks eloquently about the challenges that industry has faced in the de-industrialising period of a previous Conservative Government but also the opportunities that are there for the re-industrialising purpose of this Labour Government. Some of the companies she mentioned are, I imagine, in sectors that BICS will be very meaningfully able to support. I hope those companies will work with my Department to ensure that implementation is as effective as possible, and the eligibility checker, which will go live before too long, will mean that those companies can check their eligibility directly. In general terms, we are investing in industry in our country. We are working tirelessly with aerospace, automotive and other key parts of the industrial landscape.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I was down in the south-west just last week at Agratas, one of the largest battery production plants for electric vehicles in the whole of Europe. The sheer scale of manufacturing development in the south-west is typical of the renaissance and the capability of the region. The Agratas plant also shows the Government’s securonomics approach in action, with 230 tonnes of British steel being used in the production. From the roof, we can look across and see Europe’s largest nuclear power station being built. It is a real testament to the vibrancy, ambition and capabilities that we see right across the south-west.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend mentioned palaces—is he living in a palace, I wonder? Given the success he has outlined in his career in manufacturing, who knows? I can assure him that manufacturers across his constituency will benefit from the BIC scheme. In the summer, the eligibility checker will confirm which businesses can benefit, but this is about competitiveness. He is describing businesses that are already competitive and will become more competitive on the back of the BIC scheme and therefore be able to export and be a real credit to our country and economy.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am highly aware of my hon. Friend’s advocacy for those sectors; she is a true credit to them. The BIC scheme is about competitiveness. It has been designed in co-operation and partnership with business. Only one in 10 businesses in our country is exporting, but we have secured great trade deals with South Korea through to India, as well as the economic prosperity deal with America, and of course we are continuously rebuilding the relationship and creating new opportunities with the European Union—the most important trading bloc. I can assure her that the BIC scheme is part of making us even more competitive and more able to prosper on the global trading scene.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I remember that visit well, and I will reflect on my hon. Friend’s words, as I always do. The eligibility checker will go live in the summer, and the businesses she refers to will be able to check their ability to benefit from what she correctly describes as a highly impactful scheme.”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As we see at Sheffield Forgemasters, electric arc furnaces have the technical capability that we need to produce steel to the very highest of standards for nuclear, for aerospace and for defence. This is important, as traditional blast furnaces will eventually reach the end of their operational lives. [Interruption.]”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I believe that is essential for the resilience of sectors reliant on steel imports, including the car industry, construction and defence. We will review the measure in 12 months to make sure that it is working effectively. Our approach reflects months of engagement between my Department, the Steel Council, businesses and trade unions. I thank the trade unions that have helped us, officials in my Department who have poured their heart and soul into this strategy, and my ministerial team for their contributions and leadership. We continue to engage constructively with the EU to protect vital UK-EU steel trade given our highly interconnected supply chains. Beyond the trade measure, we are backing electric arc furnaces to shift to greener, decarbonised steel production.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have done so to shield Britain’s steel industry from the damaging effects of global overcapacity, to ensure that Britain’s steel industry contributes fully to our critical national infrastructure and our defence, and to shore up the UK’s resilience to global shocks. Without this action, the UK’s steelmaking capability faces real jeopardy, leaving us reliant on overseas suppliers. I will not let that happen. Steel is essential for our energy security, our transport infrastructure and our industrial strategy, and in this volatile geopolitical climate in which we find ourselves, that kind of dependence is weakness. Britain’s national interest requires the strength of British-made steel. The tariff will be implemented once import quotas have been fully met.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is on top of the £500 million that we have pledged for the steelworks at Port Talbot. Our ambition is for domestic production to meet up to half of Britain’s domestic demand. To support that effort, we will introduce a new trade measure to replace the existing safeguard. From 1 July, overall quotas for imported steel will be reduced by 60% compared with the safeguard. All steel coming into the UK above those levels will be subject to a 50% tariff. This measure will apply to imported steel products that can be made in the UK. This is not a decision that I have taken lightly.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“They intervened to support specific companies at specific times, but failed to improve the general conditions for the industry as a whole. They lacked the necessary boldness, creativity and urgency. This Government will not make that same mistake. Far from believing that steel decline is inevitable, we embrace a future for British steel manufacturing as a staple of sustainable, resilient economic growth and our national security. While the industry still faces challenges today, we will do everything we can to help it adapt, grow and succeed into the future, and our actions on steel will be driven by what is best for our national interest. Our steel strategy sets out a series of actions to reverse the failures of the past: to build a strong and resilient steel sector, backed up with £2.5 billion of Government investment.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In the last five decades, steel industry employment in Britain has declined by 90%, from more than 300,000 jobs in 1970 to less than 30,000 today. We are closing that decades-long chapter of deliberate de-industrialisation and committing anew to strengthening and sustaining Britain as a steelmaking nation. High operating costs and global overcapacity have made it much harder for British steel companies to compete. Manufacturers have looked to cheap, imported steel to keep costs down. As a result, investment have tapered off, capabilities have reduced and communities have been let down. Crude steel production has declined by more than 50% in the last decade. Faced with these challenges, previous Governments failed to present a long-term vision for steel in Britain. They were reactive, not proactive.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Steel is vital for sustaining thousands of lives and livelihoods, with good jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities. Steel is central to communities in Port Talbot, Motherwell, Scunthorpe, Sheffield and Teesside. This House will be acutely aware that Britain’s steel sector has experienced decades of decline, from the failures of Thatcherism that closed Consett and Ravenscraig and shrank Corby to the damage done by the Tories to Redcar and Port Talbot. Steel manufacturing in Britain serves as the starkest possible monument to the failure of Thatcherite monetarism and its record of industrial vandalism. By contrast, Labour has an activist industrial strategy that determinedly targets key industries, technologies and strategically important sectors for economic development, national security and resilience.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“With permission, I will make a statement on the Government’s steel strategy. I begin by declaring my membership of Community and GMB trade unions. Resilient economic growth is the main driver of social justice, and steel is essential to both. Steel underpins the key growth-driving sectors in our modern industrial strategy. It has strengthened and sustained communities in England, Scotland and Wales. The future of steel in Britain is about ensuring the future strength and security of our national economy. We honour steel’s proud industrial past, but we do not live in it. We are ambitious and excited for Britain’s future steel sector. Steel is essential for advanced manufacturing, clean energy, construction, defence and digital technologies.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is a £70 million contract, the largest British Steel order that UKEF has ever backed, strengthening and sustaining Britain’s future as a steelmaking nation. We need steel made in Britain in all its forms. We need it for the 1.5 million new homes that we are committed to build, for the third runway that we have approved at Heathrow that will require 400,000 tonnes of steel, and for our new data centres and gigafactories, such as the Agratas gigafactory in Somerset. A total of 23,000 tonnes of steel has already gone into its construction, all sourced from the UK. Britain needs a steel industry for our national security, economic security and national interest. We need to ensure that Britain remains an internationally competitive steelmaking nation not just because our past was built on steel, but because our future depends on it.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“All will be working together to make our steel sector attractive to new investors, innovators, employees and apprentices. It will be financially stable, internationally competitive and proudly British. Together, the strategy and the new trade measures will help to build a stronger, more resilient steel industry. They will take the immediate action that our steel industry needs and provide a plan to help the steel sector prosper for the long term. Building a brighter future for Britain’s steel has already begun. Today, UK Export Finance has signed a landmark financing deal with Nigeria, which is refurbishing two major ports. As part of that agreement, British Steel Limited will supply 120,000 tonnes of steel billets for this work.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Private sector investment is essential for the steel sector. It is vital for driving up capacity and capability. That is why, within 10 weeks of taking office, we negotiated a substantially better deal to support the transition to green steelmaking at Port Talbot. We are welcoming investment from new entrants to the UK market. The National Wealth Fund is there to support them. We will continue to work hand in hand with devolved Governments and steelmaking hubs in Wales and Scotland to bring in that additional investment. This is the vision that our steel strategy sets out: Government, with boldness, certainty, and urgency; industry, with energy, enterprise and expertise; and communities, stronger, safer, and more secure.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Millions of tonnes are ready to be recycled. We are building the technology to do it right here in Britain. We are creating a more competitive business environment for steel, too. We are tackling the high cost of energy. Our supercharger is delivering millions of pounds in savings for steelmaking firms. These businesses will benefit even further next month thanks to the changes that we are making to the network charging compensation scheme, which will increase the rate of relief from 60% to 90%. We are taking further action to support foundational industries by addressing high electricity costs, with a view to boosting supply-chain resilience. Our British industrial competitiveness scheme could reduce bills for other businesses in the sector by providing a discount of up to £40 per megawatt hour, starting from April 2027.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is okay, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is just that everyone is shocked to see the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) in his place. Electric arc furnaces are important as traditional blast furnaces will eventually reach the end of their operational lives and a managed transition is vital to maintaining supply. That is why we took control of British Steel last year, and we are currently working with the owner on the long-term future of the site. The UK has the opportunity to lead in clean, green steel, and we are going to seize it with both hands. That is why we are also changing the clean industry bonus, making it easier for British steel to be included in British wind farms. Britain can recycle more steel. Making better use of scrap steel is fundamental to the sector’s future growth.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Therefore, we must correct the market and offer protection where overcapacity is in danger of decimating one of our key industries for defence, security and future prosperity. The worst thing that could be done for the British steel industry is to do nothing. All we have heard from the Conservatives is, “Don’t do any of the things that Labour is doing,” with no alternatives offered whatsoever. They are the “do nothing” party, and that is the worst of all worlds.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This Government understand all our steel assets, and we are creating a strategy to make sure that all of them add up to more than the sum of their parts and that we have a domestic industry that is sustainable, secure and growing into the future. The hon. Lady seems to want to exit from British Steel without any more investment whatsoever. That would be the worst of all worlds. She wants to strand an entire community. We will stand by that community and make sure that the steel industry and sector thrives into the future. On tariffs, let me just explain to the party that used to be about free and fair trade that free trade depends on fair trade. Fair trade depends on not having overcapacity. We cannot have overcapacity and fair trade.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am glad to see the hon. Lady at the Dispatch Box. It is always an honour to have exchanges with her, as it has been for quite some time. The hon. Lady mentions Wales, but she seems to have no idea about the breadth and depth of the steel industry across Wales. She seems to think that there is only one steel maker, manufacturer and operator in Wales. There is not. She seems to be forgetting all about 7 Steel in Cardiff. That explains why the Conservatives in government failed to have a strategy and vision for steel and to support the sector because they did not even know who was making steel and where.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is in both our interests to make sure that we invest in, protect and modernise our respective steel industries, and we should be doing so with as much co-operation as possible.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is right to explain that this strategy is a holistic strategy. It looks at the industry as a whole and considers how all the assets can be brought together and given a sustainable footing. I will invest, modernise and protect where necessary. On the questions about the EU, I have, of course, been in discussion with my EU counterparts. I met four EU commissioners in the last month and the vice-president. Next week we will have further discussions when we are in Cameroon for the ministerial meetings of the World Trade Organisation. These are important times for both the European Union and the UK. Our reset is important, and that reset work will continue.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Gentleman mentioned waiting for the steel strategy. The truth is that the steel sector has been waiting 80 years for a steel strategy, and this is the first time that one has been delivered. I think that showing a little bit of gratitude for what has been delivered today, on behalf of the sectors and businesses that he talked about, would be most welcome. I also point out that the 80 years over which there was no strategy included 2010 to 2015, when his party was in government. Yesterday I was at Tata in Wales. The management, the ownership, the workers and the unions universally welcome this strategy and the £500 million that has already been put in to help transform the industry. That is the example of how we will move forward—with boldness, creativity and urgency.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for her thoughtful contribution, which is based on experience. Llanwern has a fierce advocate in my hon. Friend. I hope that she recognises that her campaigning over many years is reflected in the strategy. I can reassure her that this strategy is not the end; it is just the beginning. The investment, transformation and modernisation programme is only just starting.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his thoughtful intervention. He has campaigned on this issue for a long time. I can reassure him that conversations with the owner are ongoing, and that the £2.5 billion that the Government have committed is for the transformation of the sector for a sustainable future. There will be more domestic demand, we will benefit from efficiencies and economies of scale, and we can start to rebuild and re-industrialise the steel sector. That benefits his community and other steel communities up and down the country.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for her campaigning and advocacy. I hope that she recognises it in the strategy that we have announced. Dalzell is central to our defence industry up and down the country, and to the community of Motherwell. I can assure her that it is front and centre of my thinking, as we look to the future in those key sectors.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Our belief and intention is that we will have the domestic capability to produce all grades of steel needed by our economy, in an economically and financially sustainable way. Those are the things that workers in the steel sector, in Scunthorpe and right around the country, need the most.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The right hon. Gentleman mentions Thatcher. I lost my father not so long ago, and have been going through his belongings. I found a letter that my father wrote to Mrs Thatcher when she was the Leader of Opposition in the ’70s. The reply, which came from a private secretary on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition, was signed by one Edward Leigh. I understand his insight into that particular moment in our country’s history, and I am grateful to have this exchange with him over the Dispatch Box. I wish my father was here to see it. On Scunthorpe and other steel communities, I hope that the right hon. Gentleman has the time to read the strategy. When he has done so, I will make time to sit with him and work through it. He will see that it contains the intent to create sustainable steel production.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for his tireless campaigning on these issues over many years. Forgemasters is, of course, important to our defence sector. His constituency also has the capacity to make stainless steel. He gives great voice to those two assets in his community. I hope that he sees much of his campaigning reflected in the strategy, which will give a sustainable long-term future to the industries that he represents and speaks for in the House.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As I have mentioned, we have been supporting the Dalzell plant. I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the fact that we have a National Wealth Fund for the entire United Kingdom. Many billions of pounds will now be unleashed to renew our country, including Scotland, which would be bereft of that funding should it be taken out of the United Kingdom and denied access to it.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend speaks to many different sectors and industries, all of which we have stepped in to support since coming into office. We are investing in their modernisation and putting them on a sustainable footing for the future. He asks me to redouble my efforts—I have redoubled my efforts every day in this job. He will see from how my Department and I acted when Jaguar Land Rover had its hour of need and when Grangemouth needed support and investment, and from today’s steel strategy, which I announced on a visit to Port Talbot just yesterday, that this is a Government who seek to modernise and to protect where necessary, but always to invest in the future.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend will know full well that when it comes to energy, we have announced the supercharger programme. Compensation is now being increased from 60% to 90%, offering relief and injecting competitiveness into the sector at the same time as offering protection. If we had done one without the other, we would, of course, just be pouring money down the drain. I can assure him that we are working with the National Grid and colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to make sure that we get the energy supply needed for the conversion to electric arc furnaces as quickly as possible.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving himself the opportunity to score an own goal. When we came into office, we inherited a broken economy that was not delivering for working people. Our international relationships were on their knees, public services were stretched to breaking point and our economy simply was not generating income because of the circumstances that we inherited. We have acted to update workers’ rights for the moment we are living in, while getting a grip on the public finances that the previous Government left in utter chaos. Those are the fundamentals that we need moving forward to deal with all the global challenges that will come our way. If we had not got the finances on a stable footing, we would be in a much worse state now that we are facing the challenges that have come our way in recent times.”
House of Commons19 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗