British Steel set to be nationalised, Starmer says

British Steel is set to be brought into public ownership, the prime minister has announced.

Sir Keir Starmer said legislation would be brought forward this week to give the government powers to take "full ownership of British Steel", subject to a public interest test.

The move comes after the government seized control of British Steel's Scunthorpe steelworks from its Chinese owners Jingye in April last year in order to halt the potential closure of its blast furnances.

Sir Keir said the government had held talks with Jinqye, but that a "commercial sale has not been possible, and now a public test could be met".

"Public ownership is in the public interest", the prime minister said in a speech.

The steelmaking industry welcomed the announcement. Gareth Stace, director-general of industry body UK Steel, said it provided "vital certainty" for the 2,700 workforce and the company's customers.

"Maintaining domestic production capability for British Steel's products is essential not only for economic growth but also for our national security and resilience," he said.

However, Stace said nationalisation was "not an end goal", and the process must be the "beginning of a clear and credible long-term plan for British Steel" and an investment strategy.

This is not the first time the government has taken over British Steel, with the Insolvency Service running the company for six months after it collapsed in 2019, at a cost of £500m to taxpayers.