MPs are set to debate on emergency legislation to nationalist British Steel in a rare Saturday sitting in Westminster.
Both the Commons and the Lords will break from Easter recess for a highly unusual Saturday sitting to debate a bill aimed at blocking the company’s Chinese owners, Jingye, from closing blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant.
The plans would see taxpayer money used to provide materials to the steelworks and open the door to a transfer of ownership after Keir Starmer warned the future of the firm “hangs in the balance”.
There is anger among Scottish and Welsh MPs as both nations face similar site closures and job losses, arguing Westminster’s double standards considering nationalising British Steel.
When will the debate start?
The Commons sitting will begin at 11am and the House of Lords from midday in the first parliamentary recall on a Saturday since 1982, when MPs returned after the start of the Falklands War.
However, there is a chance this could be pushed back should there be any urgent questions.
How can I watch the debate?
The debate will be available to watch via Parliament TV – which can be found here.
What are Scottish MPs saying?
Brian Leishman, Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said on social media that "hopefully" parliament has been recalled "to nationalise British Steel and take it under government control".
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn questioned that "if a steel plant in England, rightly or wrongly, merits Westminster taking the extraordinary step of recalling parliament with a view to nationalise it, then why not our key energy asset at Grangemouth?".
"The same should happen to the Grangemouth oil refinery," he added. "The government should control essential industries."
