Steel for HS2 must come from the UK

ONLY a few weeks after the closure of the Redcar Steel Works, and the loss of thousands of jobs in the steel works at Port Talbot, Scunthorpe, Rotherham and Sheffield, the Chancellor George Osborne specifically asked China to tender for the supply of steel

This project will need literally millions of tons of steel over a period of time, with a multi-million pound (if not multi-billion pound) value. Keeping the production of this steel in the UK would present a golden opportunity to revive our steel industry.

I am not a ‘political animal’, and like thousands of people I am disillusioned with most of the politicians, but I am strongly in favour of fairness. I have never worked in the steel industry, but feel very strongly about the decline in UK industry and the misery it causes to the employees who lose their jobs.

The message Osborne has sent to the UK steel industry, by personally requesting China to tender, is that the process will NOT be on a ‘level playing field’ for all.

It seems to me that Osborne is obsessed by balancing the books as fast as possible (I agree that he should balance the books, but slower) and has no thought for the consequences to UK industry and its workforce. We may not be able to match China’s steel prices, but by keeping people in work and not having to pay benefits, should help bridge that gap.

I have therefore started a petition on the Government website, which reads: ‘All steel used in the HS2 project should be made in UK steel plants’. I need 100,000 signatures to force a debate in the House of Commons. I would like to think that this will help keep the steel production and as such the jobs, in the UK.

Could I please ask that you support my petition by going onto the Government website and simply ‘ticking a box’. It will ask for your name and e-mail address, but will then keep you up to date with the progress of the petition. Your details will not be disclosed to anyone. Please visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions and then search on HS2 to find the above worded petition.

Please help — we really do need to highlight Osborne’s indifference to both UK industry and UK jobs — it really is scandalous!

Bob Lax, Barnsley Road, Thorpe Hesley