MPs will be recalled to the House of Commons to discuss the future of British Steel on Saturday.
The rare weekend sitting will take place to debate the uncertain future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, PA news agency has reported.
Jingye, the Chinese owner of the business, plans to close the blast furnaces and switch to a greener form of production.
Ministers have said all options are on the table for its future, including nationalisation, over concerns its closure would leave the UK without any domestic virgin steel makers.
In an indication of how serious the Government is taking the issue, this is the first time the House of Commons has sat on a Saturday since since 1982, when MPs returned after the Falklands War began.
The Saturday sitting will begin at 11am, when MPs will debate “legislative proposals to ensure the continued operation of British Steel blast furnaces is safeguarded”, according to the office of Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker.
In a letter to MPs, Hoyle said he was satisfied the “public interest” requires the recall.
