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| Tata Steel jobs: David Cameron says there are 'no guarantees' on steel crisis | Tata Steel jobs: David Cameron says there are 'no guarantees' on steel crisis |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| David Cameron says the government is "doing everything it can" to save thousands of steel jobs - but warned there were "no guarantees of success". | David Cameron says the government is "doing everything it can" to save thousands of steel jobs - but warned there were "no guarantees of success". |
| Speaking after chairing crisis talks on Tata Steel's decision to sell its UK business, the PM said nationalisation was not the answer but the government was "not ruling anything out". | Speaking after chairing crisis talks on Tata Steel's decision to sell its UK business, the PM said nationalisation was not the answer but the government was "not ruling anything out". |
| Ministers are under pressure to secure the future of the threatened plants. | Ministers are under pressure to secure the future of the threatened plants. |
| Labour criticised their handling of the crisis, telling them to "get a grip". | Labour criticised their handling of the crisis, telling them to "get a grip". |
| Tata Steel's UK business - which directly employs 15,000 workers and supports thousands of others - includes plants in Port Talbot, Rotherham, Corby and Shotton. | Tata Steel's UK business - which directly employs 15,000 workers and supports thousands of others - includes plants in Port Talbot, Rotherham, Corby and Shotton. |
| The Port Talbot plant - which employs 5,500 people - is said to be losing £1m a day. | The Port Talbot plant - which employs 5,500 people - is said to be losing £1m a day. |
| Tata Steel UK: What are the options? | Tata Steel UK: What are the options? |
| What's going wrong with Britain's steel industry? | What's going wrong with Britain's steel industry? |
| What next for Tata Steel workers? | |
| Mr Cameron defended the government's handling of the crisis after Labour said it was "missing in action". | Mr Cameron defended the government's handling of the crisis after Labour said it was "missing in action". |
| He said ministers had been working "for months" to save the industry and said the government had taken action on energy costs. | |
| Business Secretary Sajid Javid, who has cut short a business trip to Australia to return to the UK, has come in for criticism for his absence during the crisis. | |
| 'All the options look difficult' | 'All the options look difficult' |
| Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editor | Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editor |
| For all the bold talk, privately ministers are deeply apprehensive about saving the steel industry. | For all the bold talk, privately ministers are deeply apprehensive about saving the steel industry. |
| Why? Well, all the options look difficult. | Why? Well, all the options look difficult. |
| Finding a buyer would be the preferred solution. But with Port Talbot losing £1m a day who would want to take it over? | Finding a buyer would be the preferred solution. But with Port Talbot losing £1m a day who would want to take it over? |
| A worker-management buyout is possible but their turnaround plan would require £300m of investment. | A worker-management buyout is possible but their turnaround plan would require £300m of investment. |
| Port Talbot could be "mothballed" to secure more time to find a buyer but that would still mean laying off all but a handful of employees. | Port Talbot could be "mothballed" to secure more time to find a buyer but that would still mean laying off all but a handful of employees. |
| And taxpayer support - short of nationalisation - would almost certainly fall foul of EU state aid rules. | And taxpayer support - short of nationalisation - would almost certainly fall foul of EU state aid rules. |
| But there is perhaps an even more pressing reason ministers are sounding increasingly cautious. | But there is perhaps an even more pressing reason ministers are sounding increasingly cautious. |
| They simply don't know what Tata is up to. | They simply don't know what Tata is up to. |
| Despite repeated requests ministers have been unable to secure a promise that the steel plants will not be closed within a few weeks. | Despite repeated requests ministers have been unable to secure a promise that the steel plants will not be closed within a few weeks. |
| Ministers insist they will need months to put a rescue plan in place. | Ministers insist they will need months to put a rescue plan in place. |
| Privately some in government fear the reason Tata won't say is because they are not interested in finding a buyer. | Privately some in government fear the reason Tata won't say is because they are not interested in finding a buyer. |
| Why, they ask, would Tata want to sell their steel plants to a competitor? | Why, they ask, would Tata want to sell their steel plants to a competitor? |
| In other words, Tata may already have determined the fate of the British steel industry and those who work in it - whatever option the government eventually decides to pursue. | In other words, Tata may already have determined the fate of the British steel industry and those who work in it - whatever option the government eventually decides to pursue. |
| BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said Mr Javid was under mounting pressure after it emerged he had taken his daughter with him on the trip. | |
| Her trip was not taxpayer-funded, but Labour MP Anna Turley said it gave the impression of the trip "being a jolly", while Stephen Kinnock, whose Aberavon constituency is home to the Port Talbot plant, said Mr Javid should have travelled to Mumbai for Tata's crunch board meeting on Tuesday "but instead he chose to jet off to Australia". | |
| Mr Cameron said the situation at Port Talbot was of deep "concern" and said the steel jobs were "vital" to workers' families and the communities. | |
| "The government will do everything it can working with the company to try and secure the future of steelmaking in Port Talbot and across our country. It's a vital industry," he said. | |
| Port Talbot closure 'could hit 15,000' | |
| Analysis: Warning over defence impact | |
| Tata Steel workers in 'complete shock' | |
| Speaking on a visit to Lebanon, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said a "sustainable" solution was needed. | Speaking on a visit to Lebanon, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said a "sustainable" solution was needed. |
| But he added: "To be sustainable it has to be a solution that recognises the context and the reality of a world which is drowning in an oversupply of steel and we can't simply ignore that - just continuing to produce steel for which there is not adequate demand isn't the answer. | But he added: "To be sustainable it has to be a solution that recognises the context and the reality of a world which is drowning in an oversupply of steel and we can't simply ignore that - just continuing to produce steel for which there is not adequate demand isn't the answer. |
| "So it has to be a more nuanced solution that focuses on supporting the communities who are most affected by this oversupply in the world steel market." | "So it has to be a more nuanced solution that focuses on supporting the communities who are most affected by this oversupply in the world steel market." |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the UK was in the grip of an "industrial crisis of enormous proportions". | Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the UK was in the grip of an "industrial crisis of enormous proportions". |
| He called for the creation of a steel taskforce and for the government to intervene to save the steel industry like it did the banks during the financial crisis saying EU state aid rules had not prevented Italy or France from "protecting" their steel industries. | He called for the creation of a steel taskforce and for the government to intervene to save the steel industry like it did the banks during the financial crisis saying EU state aid rules had not prevented Italy or France from "protecting" their steel industries. |
| Mr McCluskey also warned Tata against a "fire sale" of its UK steel plants. | Mr McCluskey also warned Tata against a "fire sale" of its UK steel plants. |
| Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the government "should nationalise to stabilise" saying this would involve covering the plant's costs in the short term to help a new buyer turn it around. | Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the government "should nationalise to stabilise" saying this would involve covering the plant's costs in the short term to help a new buyer turn it around. |
| Mr McDonnell said the government should "bring forward the support that was expected in this budget and didn't happen" about reducing business rates, which he said were "five to seven times" higher in the UK than Europe. | Mr McDonnell said the government should "bring forward the support that was expected in this budget and didn't happen" about reducing business rates, which he said were "five to seven times" higher in the UK than Europe. |
| The view from the ground, by BBC correspondent Tomos Morgan | The view from the ground, by BBC correspondent Tomos Morgan |
| After days of uncertainty, there are still very few answers for the workers of Port Talbot. | After days of uncertainty, there are still very few answers for the workers of Port Talbot. |
| They want to know how long they've got. They want to know if they can pay the mortgage, plan for the future and depend on a pension. But at the moment, nobody can tell them. | They want to know how long they've got. They want to know if they can pay the mortgage, plan for the future and depend on a pension. But at the moment, nobody can tell them. |
| There is anger here over how the UK government has handled the situation. | There is anger here over how the UK government has handled the situation. |
| While a delegation of local union reps were able to find a way to Mumbai to lobby Tata, there were no government ministers to be seen there. Likewise, no UK minister has made their way to Port Talbot yet. | While a delegation of local union reps were able to find a way to Mumbai to lobby Tata, there were no government ministers to be seen there. Likewise, no UK minister has made their way to Port Talbot yet. |
| Even if, as David Cameron says, there has been work behind the scenes for months, many workers here would like evidence of something more solid. | Even if, as David Cameron says, there has been work behind the scenes for months, many workers here would like evidence of something more solid. |
| One worker told me he thinks the government has walked into this "with its eyes wide shut". There have been clouds gathering over this plant for months - but yet when the storm hit there was no protection on offer. | One worker told me he thinks the government has walked into this "with its eyes wide shut". There have been clouds gathering over this plant for months - but yet when the storm hit there was no protection on offer. |
| There is still hope here that a buyer can be found - in Port Talbot more than anywhere, they believe fervently in the product and prospect of demand for steel rising in years ahead. | There is still hope here that a buyer can be found - in Port Talbot more than anywhere, they believe fervently in the product and prospect of demand for steel rising in years ahead. |
| But as the deadline to find a buyer seems to be in weeks rather than years, there is a grudging acceptance that time is against them. | But as the deadline to find a buyer seems to be in weeks rather than years, there is a grudging acceptance that time is against them. |
| It is understood the government is looking at offering loan guarantees to potential buyers and much tighter rules on procurement to ensure major British projects are obliged to buy British steel. | It is understood the government is looking at offering loan guarantees to potential buyers and much tighter rules on procurement to ensure major British projects are obliged to buy British steel. |
| Steel production makes up 1% of Britain's manufacturing output and 0.1% of the country's economic output. | Steel production makes up 1% of Britain's manufacturing output and 0.1% of the country's economic output. |
| Ministers have also been accused of opposing EU moves to impose higher tariffs on Chinese steel entering Europe. | |
| China has been accused of "dumping" cheap steel on overseas markets which is being partly blamed for the problems facing the UK steel industry. | China has been accused of "dumping" cheap steel on overseas markets which is being partly blamed for the problems facing the UK steel industry. |
| Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has called for an immediate injection of government money to ensure the Port Talbot plant keeps going while its future lies in the balance. | |
| A number of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs have said the government should not rule out subsidising the industry. This would be in contravention of EU rules restricting so-called state aid. | A number of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs have said the government should not rule out subsidising the industry. This would be in contravention of EU rules restricting so-called state aid. |
| Venture capitalist Jon Moulton, who tried to rescue MG Cars when it was put up for sale by BMW, told Today saving the plants was "probably mission impossible" as a "very, very large amount of money would need to go in to come up with any chance of a way forward". | Venture capitalist Jon Moulton, who tried to rescue MG Cars when it was put up for sale by BMW, told Today saving the plants was "probably mission impossible" as a "very, very large amount of money would need to go in to come up with any chance of a way forward". |
| There are also warnings that the end of steel production in Port Talbot would severely undermine Britain's defence capability and its status as a leading military power. | There are also warnings that the end of steel production in Port Talbot would severely undermine Britain's defence capability and its status as a leading military power. |
| Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, has argued that all countries that are members of the UN Security Council have major steel plants to support their defence industry. | Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, has argued that all countries that are members of the UN Security Council have major steel plants to support their defence industry. |
| "I cannot think of another major military power that doesn't have its own indigenous steel production capabilities," he told the BBC. | "I cannot think of another major military power that doesn't have its own indigenous steel production capabilities," he told the BBC. |
| Do you work at the Port Talbot steel plant? How will the plans to sell it affect you and your family? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. | Do you work at the Port Talbot steel plant? How will the plans to sell it affect you and your family? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |