A necessity design to rescue British Steel’s Scunthorpe Blast ovens became the law.
The urgent legislation gives ministers the power to instruct British steel to keep the plant open.
The bill was rushed by the House of Commons and House of Lords one day, while MPs and peers of the recess were revoked to participate in a Saturday for the first time in more than 40 years.
After passing through both parliamentary houses, the steel industry (special measures) Bill granted the king royal.
Emergency Bill becomes law – follow the latest response here
The bill gives the government the power to take control of British stealing (or any other steel asset), “Use power if necessary”, ordering material for steel manufacturing, instructs workers to be paid and authorize a prison sentence of up to two years for anyone who violates this law.
This will mean that the steel plant in scunthorpe will continue to work as the government decides on a long -term strategy, and steel manufacturing in the UK in broad broader.
Ministers took the unusual step to remind parliament from the recess to sit on Saturday after negotiations with Chinese owners of British Steel, Jingye, looked like.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the measures within the bill are ‘proportional and essential’ to keep the scunthorpe ovens open and protect the British primary steel manufacturing ability and the 3,500 jobs involved.
The emergency legislation does not stop the full nationalization of British, but Mr. Reynolds told MPs that public ownership remains the ‘probable option’ for the future.
During the debate, several conservative MPs, the Deputy Leader of the UK Richard Tice and Deputy Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper, all spoke in favor of nationalization.
MPs broke up for the Easter holiday on Tuesday and would only have returned until Tuesday, April 22.
The business secretary has accused Jingye of not negotiating faithfully in good faith after deciding to stop buying enough raw materials to keep the ovens running at Scunthorpe.
But the Conservatives said the government should have acted earlier, with the shadow leader of the home Alex burg -hearted who accused ministers of making “a total pig breakfast” of the situation regarding British steel.
The government has also been criticized for acting to save the Scunthorpe plant, but not to take the same action as the Tata Steel works in Port Talbot with closure were threatened.
