Ministers spent millions of pounds on thousands of tonnes of foreign steel for major British projects - triggering fresh anger from campaigners.
The Government bought almost 20,000 tonnes from overseas manufacturers for use in taxpayer-funded projects, the Mirror can reveal.
Much of the imported steel has been used in the construction of the controversial HS2 railway, while other products went into hospital and prison building schemes.
Whitehall civil servants admit last year saw more than £18million of steel shipped into the UK and used on government projects.
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The amount of imported steel used in government projects in the last year has rocketed in the last 12 months, rising from 2,869 tonnes to 19,809 tonnes.
The value of imports soared from £2.9m to £18.7m, according to the Steel Public Procurement report 2022.
Government records for the last year show £14.4m of the spend on non-UK steel was for the HS2 railway - much of it for building its showpiece West London station at Old Oak Common.
Almost £4m was spent by the Ministry of Justice on building work at two prisons at Wellingborough, Northants, and Glen Parva, Leics.
The steel was used for cell doors, windows, gates, fencing and precast concrete components.
The Environment Agency spent more than £200,000 on foreign steel that could have been made in the UK, including products to help with flood management schemes in Shoreham, Sussex; Portsea, Hants, and Kent’s Hythe coast.
NHS officials admitted some steel used in building projects at the Royal Cornwall NHS Trust was sourced from abroad when it could have been made in the UK.
Community steelworkers' union operations director Alasdair McDiarmid said: “Buying Britain’s steel supports thousands of jobs, benefits our economy, provides value to the taxpayer and is better for the environment.
“It’s just not good enough, and the awarding of contracts must properly take into account the social and environmental benefits of sourcing locally.”
He added: “Britain needs its steel, and it’s unthinkable that our country could be without a steel industry as we chart a new course in the world.
“An independent country without the potential to make the steels for her own infrastructure, or to build her own ships, really is not independent at all.
“At a time of increasing protectionism, war, and nation-first sentiment, it would be madness not to retain our sovereign steelmaking capacities.”
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “It is shameful that the Government are missing opportunities to back our fantastic domestic steel industry.
“Steel needs a Labour Government on their side backing them at every possible opportunity.
“Labour believes steel has a bright future ahead that’s why we would invest £3billion over the next decade to green the steel industry.
“We have a plan to re-energise our economy, Labour will make, buy and sell more in Britain.”
The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since 2015 when the industry was hit by plant closures and thousands of redundancies.
A Government spokeswoman said: “Ministers want major infrastructure projects to buy British steel where possible.
“The record volume of UK steel procured for projects over the past year demonstrates how public contracts are playing a role in delivering growth in our steel industry.
“We are backing the future of British steelmaking by co-investing in new low carbon technology, extending energy costs relief for a further three years and doubling the amount of support.
“This is in addition to more than £600m of support we have provided to the sector over the past decade.”
