Sarah Jones MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words. He is right to point to the supply chain and the need for us to support not just the key industries, but the whole network of small and medium-sized companies across the whole UK, not just in Northern Ireland. I was in Belfast a couple of weeks ago, and I was delighted to see at Harland & Wolff the building under way of the three ships that are part of the MOD contract with Navantia. I was also pleased to go to Spirit, given our good conversations with Boeing about the future of that site and what it could look like. I also met lots of other parts of the industry. Advanced manufacturing in Northern Ireland is showing the way in lots of new technologies that we need to support. I will continue to support them.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  We talked before Parliament returned about how we can support Llanwern and the work done there. My hon. Friend is right that this is a difficult time for the steel industry. There are headwinds that we need to address: we need to conclude the negotiations with our US counterparts and bring in energy price reductions, which will make a big difference, and we need the steel strategy. We are putting all these things in place. We believe that there is a great future for steel in south Wales, and we will continue to support it.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for her remarks. She is right to ask about how we ensure that this nationally strategic asset is protected, and we are doing that. I have just set out the reduction in energy prices that the steel industry as a whole will benefit from—extending the super-charger from 60% to 90% to give network charge relief, which will bring significantly lower costs for energy prices for our steel industry. We are prioritising the procurement of British steel where the Government are spending money, because we believe that that is the right thing to do. We have already introduced protections for steel trading, and we are ensuring that we do everything we can, talking to our US counterparts all the time, about reaching a conclusion on the negotiations on the steel tariffs. I am optimistic about those conversations. Of course, I speak to officials and other Ministers, and to the steel industry, about these issues all the time. We are lucky to have the Steel Council that we put together—trade unions, industry and others who are helping us to develop what we think will be an ambitious steel strategy that will ensure that the steel industry will not decline. The strategy will ensure that we will not be in the position we are currently in, where only 30% of the steel we use in this country is made in this country, and that we will be in a position where we can protect those good, experienced jobs and those good people who we want to support and make sure the industry grows.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for pointing out the failings of the Opposition, which we all understand very well. On the pension issue, I recognise the concern that people will have. We have to let the official receiver get under the hood and work out what has been paid and what has not, because that is not clear. Once we know, we will look into that and do what needs to be done, but I do not want to say something on the subject until we know the reality.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  I would like to make a statement regarding the insolvency of Speciality Steel UK Ltd, which is part of the Liberty Steel Group. Hon. Members will have seen that the High Court granted a compulsory winding-up order against Liberty Speciality Steels on 21 August, and the company has now entered liquidation. First and foremost, let me say this: the Government stand with the affected steelworkers in Rotherham, in Sheffield and in Wednesbury. We stand with their families and the communities, who will undoubtedly be worried at this difficult time. I would like to reassure them and all those employed by Liberty Speciality Steels that we are standing by with our rapid response teams to give immediate support on the ground if required, that we are working with the trade unions and the South Yorkshire Mayor, and that we are working with the councils and hon. Members from affected constituencies to offer all the help we can. I also want to stress that there will be no immediate changes to the current operation of the business, including to employees’ jobs. Following the appointment of special managers, the company’s sites have been secured and employee payroll processed within 24 hours. Other Liberty Steel companies outside Speciality Steel, such as Liberty Dalzell and Liberty Hartlepool, are not affected by this action. Following the company’s liquidation, the official receiver has been appointed as liquidator by the court. Hon. Members will know that the official receiver operates independently of Government, with a statutory duty to act in the best interests of creditors. Yesterday, I laid a departmental minute notifying the House of the contingent liabilities associated with this intervention. I regret that, due to the liquidation taking place during recess, we have not been able to follow the usual notice period of 14 parliamentary sitting days. However, a copy of the departmental minute will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. In addition, the Government have agreed to funding for the official receiver, who will now stabilise operations. The official receiver will gather company information and report to us on the likely next steps, including options for the company’s business and sites. The total costs will depend on market conditions and the strategy adopted by the official receiver. However, that will be subject to close scrutiny by my Department and the Insolvency Service. As the House will be aware, the company has faced severe financial and operational difficulties since 2021. Liberty Speciality Steels had failed to file accounts for over six years—a failure that has led to a separate prosecution by Companies House of its parent company. I am sure that the official receiver will want to gain a better understanding of the company’s business and the conduct of its directors leading up to the liquidation. I also inform the House that the director of the company is currently under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering. Given that, I am sure hon. Members will agree that it would have been wholly inappropriate for the Government to enter into commercial arrangements with the company. This Government will always take difficult decisions when they are in the national interest. That is why, in April, we acted to prevent the pre-emptive closure of the blast furnaces at British Steel in Scunthorpe. In the case of Liberty Steel, the lack of transparency, the legal and financial risks and the complete absence of reliable corporate information meant we had no credible route to act before insolvency. It is worth noting that Liberty Speciality Steels uses electric arc furnace technology that can be powered up or down as needed—although it should be noted that those furnaces have not been operating since July of last year. That was the situation this Government inherited. The circumstances in Scunthorpe were fundamentally different. British Steel operates the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces—assets that, once shut down, cannot simply be restarted. Allowing those blast furnaces to be closed pre-emptively would have removed our ability to make strategic choices about the future of steelmaking in Scunthorpe, and that was not a position this Government were prepared to accept. Scunthorpe was therefore a truly exceptional situation and that is why we took the unprecedented step of implementing the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 to maintain the safe operation of the blast furnaces. The situation with Liberty Speciality Steels is not comparable. The company was issued with a winding-up order by the High Court due to longstanding financial issues. Spending taxpayers’ money on a company operating in such a way would have exposed taxpayers to hundreds of millions—potentially billions—of pounds in hidden costs. With all that said, I very much believe that the steelmaking sites in Rotherham, Stocksbridge, Brinsworth and Wednesbury have a future. I am keen to see them return to production, but that has to be achieved through private investment by an owner who can invest in the workforce and in the future of the business so that they put it on a long-term, sustainable footing. We know that the business environment has not been good enough for the UK’s steel industry, which is why we have already made substantial changes to secure a stronger future for it. I will say more about the steps that we have taken shortly. In the case of Liberty Speciality Steels, it goes without saying that the company’s hardworking employees are key to turning the sites around. Their skills and expertise will be essential in delivering that brighter future. However, in its current state, producing only minimal volumes of steel and with many employees still on furlough, we know that some tough choices lie ahead. It is now for the official receiver to determine the next steps in the insolvency process. But let me be clear: this Government will stand by this workforce and do all we can to support them through this period of uncertainty. Despite the challenges facing the steel sector today after years of neglect under the previous Government, we believe that this industry will bounce back and grow stronger tomorrow. This Government are doing everything we can to make that happen. We are pressing ahead with a bold steel strategy for the UK, set to be published later this year. That strategy will set out our vision for a competitive, decarbonised and resilient domestic steel industry. Our approach is clear: we want the UK steel sector to thrive, with strong private investment and commercially sustainable operations at its core. Under our new industrial strategy, we have already announced some major policy changes to increase the future viability of the steel industry. We are reducing electricity costs for steel producers by increasing network charge discounts through the supercharger from 60% to 90%. We are changing Government procurement rules via the publication of a new steel public procurement notice to ensure that UK-made steel is considered for all public projects. We are also strengthening current steel safeguard measures, ensuring that UK steel producers will not be undercut while still ensuring that the UK has a steady and reliable supply. Hon. Members will know that we have also secured a much-improved deal for the workers of Port Talbot—something the Opposition repeatedly said could never be achieved—and we delivered it alongside a £500 million grant to support the transition to low-carbon electric arc furnace production. I was proud to attend the groundbreaking event for this in July with the chair of Tata Group. We will continue to work hand in hand with this vital British industry to ensure its long-term success. Let there be no doubt that, for Liberty Speciality Steels, we will pursue every option to keep steelmaking in Rotherham, Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the west midlands. We will offer all possible support to the independent official receiver on the all-important next phase, and we will continue to work with hon. Members across the House to ensure that the UK remains a proud steelmaking country now and for many years to come. I commend this statement to the House.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Lady will know, one of the blast furnaces had already closed by the time we came into government. We had long conversations with Tata about a different model that we had hoped it would pursue. We were unsuccessful with that. We have now improved the outcomes and the support for that workforce, and I was very pleased to be at the first stage of the build of the electric arc furnace at Port Talbot in July, which will secure many thousands of jobs there. We will continue to support Port Talbot with the £500 million that we are investing.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for those remarks; they are gratefully received, and we will continue to do all we can to support the steel industry. She is absolutely right that a number of apprentices were due to start this week, but the official receiver took the decision that, given that the 12-month continuation of the apprenticeships could not be guaranteed, it was right to try to find them other placements. I am taking a close personal interest in what happens to those 50 people. I know the local authority and the Department for Education are trying to ensure that we can find other places for them. I want to make sure that we can do so, because one of the things this Government are passionate about is ensuring that our young people have the apprenticeships to give them support for the jobs that we know we need into the future.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  Liberty Pipes is separate and is not part of this situation at all. Of course, there will be concern in the wider group about the impact—I understand that—but at the moment, there is no crossover. Liberty Pipes will continue to do what it is doing and, I am sure, will continue to support the CCUS industry, which is great news for the workers there, and great news for us.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Gentleman knows, Dalzell is a separate legal entity, so it is not affected, but he is right to worry about the overall situation and its possible impact on the company. I will look into the point he raised about the Scottish Government and Liberty. We are looking at what the steel industry should look like across the whole of the UK; the devolved Governments are involved in the steel strategy, as well as the unions, the industry and others, so we are taking a holistic view of the whole UK to see what we can do with steel.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  Navantia, which is building three ships, has recently entered into a contract to use Liberty’s steel; that relates to the Dalzell plant in Scotland, so it is unaffected by the announcements we have made today. Of course, I work very closely with my colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to ensure that we use British Steel where we can, and that we have the right infrastructure across the country, producing the right types of steel. We produce some types of steel for defence and not others, and some types of steel for shipping and not others. We need to do everything we can to protect British jobs and produce what we can here in the UK.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Mr Speaker. I shall just explain to the shadow Minister how the system works. The Government have not taken over control. That is not the process of the official receiver. The official receiver was appointed following a court case which began in 2024. It has been a very long and arduous case. The hon. Gentleman will hopefully understand that I cannot set out the cost of the official receiver at this point because the official receiver has only just begun his work. It is very early days and we cannot be specific. We know the numbers will be in the millions, as opposed to anything more substantial, because the company is not operating in and of itself. What we are doing is ensuring that the salaries are paid, which I hope the whole House would agree is the right thing to do. Companies will be coming forward and expressing an interest in buying parts of the company, and it will be for the official receiver to look at that and see what process we should go through, but I cannot give the hon. Gentleman the actual numbers on that. I hope the whole House will understand why not. On the shadow Minister’s wider point, if this Government had not intervened, thousands of people would have lost their livelihoods in Scunthorpe; that is a fact. If this Government had not intervened, we would not have had a better deal for the workers in Port Talbot, we would not have been there supporting them in the transition, and we would not be there supporting the building of the electric arc furnace, which began back in July. The shadow Minister asked what this Government have already done. We have already changed the rules on procurement. I have worked closely with colleagues in the Cabinet Office on that to ensure that where Government are spending money, we are spending on British business where we can—something his Government failed to do. On energy prices, we have committed to lowering prices through the reduction in costs that will come from the expansion of the super-charger—something his Government failed to do. We are working on a bold strategy, which we will publish this year, that will build on that. Whether on trade protections—on which we have already taken measures—our scrap policy, R&D, jobs, apprenticeships or skills, we will have a bold strategy because we believe in steel, unlike the previous Government, who said that manufacturing is a Victorian pursuit best left to the Chinese. We do not agree with that approach.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  The official receiver is independent. Of course, we are very interested in this, and are keeping in close touch with the receiver on what comes out of this. The hon. Member’s idea is not necessarily foolish, on this occasion. This is a legal process, and the official receiver legally has to think of the creditors who have suffered throughout—we have to think of them as well, and make sure we do the right thing—but we will continue to do everything we can to make sure that there is a viable future, whatever form that takes.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency · Hansard source

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  Of course. I share that gratitude for those amazing colleagues who stand up for what they know to be right and sensible. We are protecting not something that is not worth protecting, but something that has a vibrant and viable future; that is what we are working towards. We are working closely with the South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority and the Mayor. In broader advanced manufacturing in the region, including the innovation district and research centre, there is a huge wealth of expertise and talent that we can build on.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  Forgive me for my long answers, Mr Speaker, but there is a lot to talk about in the industrial strategy, and I like to talk about it. The hon. Lady raises an important point. There is a significant skills challenge, and we will not shy away from it. Yesterday, £1.2 billion for skills was announced in the spending review. We have announced £600 million for construction skills, because that is a big issue for building the infrastructure that we need. We know we need to go further, and we are working closely with industry on how we can use the resources we have to recruit the welders, engineers—

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  I can guarantee the hon. Lady that our industrial strategy will have a longer shelf life than hers did; I think it lasted 18 months—I am not entirely sure. We forget, because it did not have much of an impact. We have worked with all industries across the country to put together a comprehensive package that will make it easier to do business in the UK, and support our city regions and clusters across the country, where we have excellent industry. It will turbocharge the eight growth sectors, and it will make the Government more agile in interacting with business. That is why we are reforming the Office for Investment, as we have always said we will. It is now a significantly more substantial organisation, and will give significantly more support. The hon. Lady should look at—

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Gentleman will know, we are doing what we can to unlock the planning challenges that people have faced for many years in a whole range of areas. We are introducing legislation to do that, and making several changes. I obviously cannot comment on specific planning proposals in his area, but he should be reassured that we are doing what we can to encourage growth.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  The Department is making good progress developing our industrial strategy—a strategy that has been called for by industry for many years and opposed by the Conservatives for ideological reasons. We have launched our consultation, we have met industry and thousands of businesses across the land, and we are finalising our report, which we will be publishing shortly. The spending review announcements yesterday on investment will add to the business growth in the country that we all want to see.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  We have very big ambitions for AI and growth across the country, and I am very happy to talk to the hon. Gentleman about his proposals. I am sure that he has already talked to colleagues in DSIT, but I am very happy to take this matter further.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  Of course, our industrial strategy will speak to the whole country about the way that we are supporting businesses to grow and thrive. We have identified eight growth-driving sectors as the arrowheads of growth, but there are also policies that we believe will lift the whole country. I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend. I congratulate him on the support that the local community showed in the recent Hamilton by-election, and look forward to talking to him further.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  This is a challenging and difficult time for the workers and their families at Alexander Dennis, as well as for the local area. As Members would expect, I have engaged extensively with ADL’s senior executives alongside the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Department for Transport and the First Minister of Scotland to discuss what we can do to support. We wrote jointly to the company, offering to support it in any way we can. There are many issues that we tried to talk through with its representatives. Bus manufacturing sits with the Department for Transport, so it is taking the lead, but we are working together to do what we can.

• 12 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I completely agree with my hon. Friend. I know that he will do what he can to promote his constituency, and the extra funding for the British Business Bank will really support his area.

• 11 Jun 2025 · British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme · Hansard source

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  Of course my hon. Friend is right. I want to thank everybody who has campaigned and worked for so long on the mineworkers’ pension and everybody who has been in touch with me and with colleagues across the House on the BCSSS. One of the most humbling events I have been to in my political life was speaking to former miners following the announcement on the mineworkers’ pension. I am incredibly grateful to the many people who have campaigned and who are getting in touch and showing us how important this is. Of course, we completely understand it.

• 11 Jun 2025 · British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme · Hansard source

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  I am always very happy to meet my colleagues, particularly my hon. Friend. I am very happy to meet anybody in receipt of or campaigning on the BCSSS. My door is always open. He is right, of course, that our industrial strategy needs to do something that we have not had for so long: it needs to grow our economy across the country, not just in certain areas. We want the industrial strategy to do just that. I will end by saying that, as politicians, we know that people find it very hard to trust us and what we will deliver, in part because they have been let down so many times over so many years, but I hope that they have noted our delivery of the mineworkers’ pension scheme within three months of coming into office. I understand the frustration and need for speed because the people concerned are getting older. We know that many people passed away before they could get the mineworkers’ pension scheme. The same is true during the long time that we have been talking about these issues. Now, I hope that people can see that we mean it when we look to work at pace on the BCSSS.

• 11 Jun 2025 · British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme · Hansard source

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  We are certainly moving as fast as we can. I will explain where the process has got to, and I hope that Members will be reassured. The transfer of £1.5 billion from the mineworkers’ pension boosted pensions by 32%, which was an average increase of £29 a week for each member. The hon. Member for Ashfield made the point that this is about putting money not just into people’s pockets but into local communities, and that is incredibly important. I also understand that in the context of the BCSSS in exactly the same way. My officials are working closely with the trustees of the mineworkers’ pension on the review of the future surplus sharing arrangements, and we hope to come forward with proposals and reach an agreement on that soon. Having worked closely with the coalfield communities on the delivery of the mineworkers’ pension, I completely recognise the strength of feeling on the BCSSS.

• 11 Jun 2025 · British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme · Hansard source

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  I will let anybody watching the debate draw their own conclusions on that front, but it is there for all to see. I thank the hon. Member for Ashfield for securing the debate and many hon. Friends for their representations. The Labour Government are absolutely committed to addressing the BCSSS. I look forward to updating Members on our progress towards improving pensions for all our former miners and correcting these historical injustices. Question put and agreed to.