Today (21 May 2026), Luke Myer MP voted to back new legislation giving the Government powers to bring British Steel into public ownership — after hosting a major cross-party steel summit in Parliament earlier this week.
Luke brought together MPs from across Parliament, senior industry figures and the Government’s Industry Minister for a major steel summit in Westminster on Monday. As Chair of the APPG on Steel and Metals-Related Industries, Luke convened the meeting with Minister Chris McDonald, alongside MPs from Labour, Reform UK and the House of Lords, as well as representatives from UK Steel and firms from across the industry.
The summit focused on the Government’s new Steel Strategy, trade protections, industrial energy prices and the future of British steelmaking. Industry representatives told Parliamentarians the recent trade remedy to support domestic production was the “most significant intervention to support UK steel competitiveness in over a decade“, while also warning that more must be done to support downstream manufacturers and tackle high industrial energy costs – an issue Luke has repeatedly raised in Parliament on behalf of Teesside steelworkers and manufacturers.
The new legislation follows the Government’s emergency intervention in April 2025 to prevent the collapse of British Steel’s Scunthorpe blast furnaces and take control from the Chinese owners. The new Bill would allow ministers to bring British Steel into full public ownership. During the debate, he pointed to the lasting scars left on Teesside after the failure to intervene in 2015 led to the closure of the Redcar blast furnace, which cost thousands of local jobs.
Luke Myer MP has consistently championed the steel industry in Parliament, warning that steel is “not a sunset industry” but a strategic national asset vital for economic security, defence, clean energy and manufacturing. Last year, he demanded “big fiscal choices” and “strong national intervention to protect our steel industry” (Hansard, February/March 2025), and the then Secretary of State credited his advocacy during the passage of last year’s legislation. He has also regularly pressed ministers on energy costs, trade protections, procurement in defence, energy and hydrogen, and investment in Teesside steelmaking.
Alongside parliamentary work, Luke has closely engaged with steelworkers and manufacturers across the region, visiting British Steel sites at Skinningrove and Lackenby, Liberty Pipe Mill in Hartlepool, and Teesside metals firms including Tees Components, MPI and Peel Jones Copper.
British Steel’s Skinningrove Special Profiles plant remains a major employer in East Cleveland, supporting over 300 jobs alongside apprenticeships and downstream manufacturing roles. The site specialises in high-value steel sections used in mining, construction equipment, shipbuilding and heavy industry, and recently expanded with a new £26 million service centre and dozens of new jobs since the Government’s intervention.
Speaking after the vote, Luke Myer MP said:
“Steel built communities like ours, and communities like ours helped build Britain. I will always back our steelworkers and our industrial communities.
“People in our area know what happens when Governments stand aside and strategic industries are allowed to collapse. Steel is essential for our economy, our infrastructure, our defence industry and our national resilience.
“That is why I supported this Bill, why I continue pressing Government on support for the industry, and why I will keep fighting for the long-term future of steel and manufacturing on Teesside.”