Tata Steel: Port Talbot closure forces UK to rely on China for steel as MP raises ‘national security’ concerns
About 2,800 jobs will go over the next 18 months, with a further 300 to be lost after
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
Tata’s decision to axe 3,000 jobs at its plant in South Wales will leave the UK reliant on foreign steel imports for years to come, as an MP warned the move raised “serious questions” about national security.
Stephen Kinnock, the shadow minister for immigration and Labour MP for Aberavon - home of the Port Talbot steelworks - said the move leaves the UK the only G20 country unable to make “its own steel from scratch”.
Earlier Tata confirmed plans to close blast furnaces at the plant, with the loss of more than 3,000 jobs. About 2,800 jobs will go over the next 18 months, with a further 300 to be lost after. The Indian-owned firm said the plans were aimed at “reversing more than a decade of losses”.
The move also sparked outrage among several unions.
A statement by the GMB and Community said: “It is an absolute disgrace that Tata Steel, and the UK government, appear intent on pursuing the cheapest instead of the best plan for our industry, our steelworkers and our country.”
When are the House of Lords set to debate Sunak’s Rwanda plan?
The BBC’s chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman has posted the rough timetable for when the House of Lords will debate Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda scheme.
Sunak’s Rwanda plan ‘a step towards totalitarianism’, says peer
Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda legislation represents “a step towards totalitarianism”, a prominent member of the House of Lords has warned.
Lord Carlile, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, warned many peers fear the integrity of the British legal system is “under attack” from Tory infighting.
Lord Carlile told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve seen in various countries the damage that is done when governments use perceived and often ill-judged political imperatives to place themselves above the courts - this is a step towards totalitarianism and an attitude that the United Kingdom usually deprecates.
“I think you’ll find that many of the lawyers in the House of Lords will say this is a step too far, this is illegitimate interference by politics with the law, on an issue that can be solved in other ways.”
The crossbench peer told the Today programme it is the House of Lords’ role to revise legislation and protect the public from abuses of legal correctness and principle by the Government.
“I think many of us in the House of Lords believe that is exactly what has happened, that good policymaking and the integrity of our legal system are under attack because of internal political quarrelling in the Conservative Party.
“If you want to blame someone, you can blame the lawyers, but the lawyers on the whole do not accept that. What we are doing is trying to countermand meddling by politicians in the law.
“It’s been Government elevating itself to an unacceptable level above the law, above our much-admired Supreme Court, and above the reputation internationally of the United Kingdom law.”
Sunak’s press conference - the verdict from the commentariat and political reporters
Rishi Sunak’s press conference this morning to try and galvanize the Tory party before his controversial Rwanda proposals enter the House of Lords was not given a glowing endorsement by keen-eyed Westminster watchers.
My colleague Zoë Grünewald described it as “self-indulgent” with “no new information”.
The Daily Mirror’s Lizzy Buchan said:
Former Independent colleague and now parliamentary sketchwriter at The Times, Tom Peck, said:
And Ava Santina at Joe said:
Shout of ‘shame’ as Sunak’s Rwanda plan introduced to House of Lords
There was a shout of “shame” as Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda legislation was introduced to the House of Lords.
In keeping with convention, the flagship deportation plan received an unopposed first reading in the unelected chamber following its approval by MPs.
However it faces a rocky ride at future stages with many peers already having raised concerns.
Sunak unable to confirm when Rwanda flights will take off after policy win
Sunak’s claim to have ‘cleared’ asylum backlog slapped down by watchdog
Rishi Sunak’s claim to have cleared the asylum backlog has been slapped down by a watchdog.
The prime minister was accused of lying when he made the comment earlier this month.
The Home Office said it had processed more than 112,000 asylum cases overall in 2023, but Labour accused the government of making false claims about meeting the target, with figures showing the department had fallen short of the number it initially set to reach.
The government has now been reprimanded by the UK Statistics Authority, which said the episode “may affect public trust”.
Kate Devlin has the full report:
Watchdog slams Rishi Sunak over claim to have ‘cleared’ asylum backlog
The UK’s statistics watchdog has slammed Rishi Sunak for his repeated claim to have “cleared” the asylum backlog – and warned the assertion could erode trust in the government.
Rwanda plan ‘crazy hill’ to fight on - former minister
Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan is a “crazy hill” for the Conservative Party to be fighting on, a frustrated former cabinet minister has said.
The anonymous MP told Sky News they were worried voters would think the Tories were a “single issue” party.
A YouGov poll published earlier this morning found the party had dipped to 20 per cent - 27 points behind Labour - and the lowest level since Liz Truss was prime minister.
Watch: Sunak pleads with HoL to back his Rwanda Bill
More migrants than Rwanda has capacity for have arrived in the UK today
More migrants crossed the Channel yesterday than Rwanda currently has capacity for under the UK’s deportation partnership with the east African nation, Archie Mitchell reports.
Some 358 migrants were detected crossing the channel on Wednesday, while the High Court was told last year that the physical capacity for housing asylum seekers in Rwanda was limited to 100.
The government, however, has said the capacity of the scheme is uncapped.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies