Steel

Rival to government plans would scrap net zero policies, as party aims to woo sector after decades of job lossesReform UK has asked steel bosses to draw up an “alternative steel strategy” to rival recent government plans, stoking industry fears over a charm offensive by Nigel Farage’s party as it eyes gains in former Labour heartlands.Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, met a group of bosses shortly before Labour announced new steel tariffs in March and commissioned them to draft a competing plan that will include scrapping net zero policies. Continue reading...

Agreements would aim to shield British industry from new steel tariffs and stricter rules on electric vehicles due in 2027Downing Street hopes to secure deals on steel and electric cars with the EU as it seeks to upgrade the post-Brexit economic relationship.Amid economic uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East and strains in relations with the US, Keir Starmer is seeking closer economic ties with the EU. Continue reading...

UK official receiver understood to prefer Blastr as buyer for SSUK’s electric arc furnace in Rotherham and site in StocksbridgeBusiness live – latest updatesUK officials have entered exclusive talks with a Norwegian startup to buy the former Liberty Steel works in South Yorkshire, in a significant step towards its rescue.Norwegian-owned Blastr is understood to be the bidder preferred by the government’s official receiver to take on ownership of the UK’s largest existing electric arc furnace in Rotherham and other works in Stocksbridge, both in South Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Decision to reduce duty-free quotas by 47% aimed at curbing Chinese importsThe EU is to go ahead with plans to double tariffs and halve quotas on imports of steel from July, in a move designed to curb Chinese imports but which could damage UK exports to the bloc.The decision by EU lawmakers and member states after late night talks on Monday, will reduce duty-free quotas by 47%. Exact country allocations have yet to be determined. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration plans to implement tiered tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, with 50% duties on many derivative goods based on import value, 25% on others, and lower rates for some products. • This policy aims to protect US industry amid global trade tensions exacerbated by Middle East conflicts. • The measures could reshape international supply chains and provoke retaliatory actions from trading partners.

• US and Israeli forces conducted strikes Tuesday on major Iranian steel facilities, including the Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan and the Khuzestan Steel Company, marking continued escalation of military operations. • President Donald Trump stated American forces will withdraw from Iran within "two to three weeks," signaling a potential end to the ongoing military campaign that began last month. • Iran reported at least 249 women and 216 children killed in US-Israeli attacks since the war's start, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected ceasefire proposals and demanded a complete end to hostilities.

New measures will protect Tata and British Steel but allow foreign pre-made parts into the UK, say industry bossesSteel bosses have warned ministers that a “back door” in new trade rules could hit British manufacturers and lead to job cuts and factory closures by allowing a vast array of foreign products to still enter the UK tax-free.The loophole means pre-made steel parts ranging from bridge sections, columns and door frames, all the way to smaller rods and tubes used in buildings, will escape recently announced import tariffs, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

Fossil-fuel burning at Ohio facility could burn longer, leaving Middletown residents to face environmental risksSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxIt was just a few months after moving from Louisville to Middletown, Ohio, four years ago that Vivian Adams’s six-year-old daughter’s asthma problem worsened.“My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues,” she says, “[but] it’s gotten worse. She stays sick and coughing and can’t breathe. She’s had to go on everyday medication for her asthma, plus she has a rescue inhaler.” Continue reading...

Doubling tariffs on imported steel will raise cost of the metal when Iran war is already inflating steel and concrete pricesOne of HS2’s biggest contractors has warned the government that raising tariffs on foreign steel imports will “exacerbate” cost pressures for the UK construction industry, amid growing concern over the £100bn railway’s rising budget.Ministers said last week they would double the tariffs on imported steel and slash the amount that can be bought from overseas, in an attempt to save Britain’s struggling steelmakers. Continue reading...

Business secretary announces new ‘steel safeguards’ during visit to Tata’s Port Talbot plantThe UK is to double tariffs on Chinese and other foreign steel in a bid to save its remaining plants from collapse.The new “steel safeguards” came weeks after bosses at Tata Steel in south Wales warned the government they had just two months to be saved. Continue reading...

National Audit Office highlights benefits of state rescue for jobs and orders but warns of continuing high cost The cost of keeping the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces going at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant could exceed £1.5bn by 2028 if it continues at its current rate, according to the government’s spending watchdog.Ministers took the plant into public control in April last year, after its Chinese owner – industrial firm Jingye – threatened to shut down the loss-making site. Continue reading...