Almost a year has passed since the general election, which saw Labour become the party of government for the first time since the days of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
It has been a busy first year in government for Keir Starmer and his Cabinet, who confirmed a £500 million grant funding agreement for Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation project in September, consulted on the Steel Strategy and Industrial Strategy, and passed the Steel Industry Special Measures Act, which gave the government operational control of British Steel.
All of this has played out in the context of the UK steel industry facing increasing global overcapacity, tariffs, rising trade diversion and global competition, and the highest electricity prices in Europe – highlighting that urgent action and support from policy-makers is needed now.
With the UK Government looking to publish its Industrial Strategy before the Summer recess, and the Steel Strategy expected in the Autumn, Tata Steel continues to call on the government to:
- Address high energy costs for UK steelmakers
- Protect the UK steel industry from global overcapacity
- Resolve the threat of cheap, high-carbon imports
- Increase UK steel in public procurement
- Recognise the role of scrap as a critical raw material
Speaking of the new briefing, Tata Steel UK’s Public Affairs and Community Manager Lewis Clark said:
“This government has several challenges to address in order to create a truly sustainable future environment for the UK steel industry.
“Tata Steel has long advocated for a clear, robust industrial strategy that promotes investment, growth and global competitiveness. We urge ministers to action our policy recommendations, and those of our industry partners, to build a steel sector that underpins the UK’s green transition, revitalises domestic manufacturing, and drives job creation across Wales and the wider UK.”
You can access the full briefing here.
About Tata Steel UK
- The Tata Steel Group has been named one of the most ethical companies in the world, and is among the top producing global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes.
Tata Steel in the UK has the ambition to produce net-zero steel by 2045 at the latest, and to have reduced 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030. - In October 2024, Tata Steel ceased ironmaking at its Port Talbot site and temporarily paused steelmaking pending the construction of a 3.2Mtpa Electric Arc Furnace, due to be commissioned late in 2027 / early 2028. For that period, the business will import slab and hot rolled coil to support manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland as well as Norway, Sweden, France, Germany and UAE. It also benefits from a network of sales offices around the world.
- Throughout 2024 Tata Steel UK has been undergoing a restructuring that will reduce the size of its workforce to around 5000 direct employees, supplying high-quality steel products to demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.
- Tata Steel Group is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world.
- The group recorded a consolidated turnover of around US$26 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2025.
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