UK steel industry has ‘two months to be saved’, warns Tata Steel

The UK Government has “two months to save the UK steel industry”, a director of the country’s biggest steel firm has warned.

Russell Codling, director of markets business development at Tata Steel UK, warned MPs on Tuesday that the sector is “teetering on the brink” and needs urgent state support.

He told Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee that the sector is at threat due to fears of further cheap Chinese imports flooding the market.

“At the moment to date, whilst the UK Government is working very hard on this, we are not in a position to be protecting the UK industry, which is putting the UK steel industry at severe threat,” the boss said.

He called on the Government to follow the footsteps of the EU and US, with import tariffs designed to benefit regional steel sectors.

Currently, there are safeguards in place imposing a 25% tariff on specific imported steel products, but this expires in June.

Tata called for immediate action from the Government to announce a replacement system or extent the current safeguards.

Mr Codling added: “Frankly speaking, the UK Government has two months to save the UK steel industry because this is a death knell for the industry at large and its supply chains.

“If the UK doesn’t act we won’t have a steel industry not many months from now.

“We need action, we need action now, that needs to be in position by July 1.”