Today we have launched a new report – Steel Reforged – calling for urgent action from the UK Government to secure a long-term future for the country’s steel industry. You can read the report in full here.
The new expert-led report sets out a series of recommendations to safeguard the industry’s future into the 2030s and beyond, including:
- The introduction of a direct reduced iron (DRI) facility to maintain the UK’s primary steelmaking capability, alongside investment to create a modern steel plate mill
- For government action to mandate or incentivise the use of UK-made steel for energy, defence and related infrastructure projects.
- For a robust UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to be brought in one year earlier than planned in 2026 to protect the country against a flood of dirty steel imports.
- For government action to bring down industrial electricity prices for steelmakers in the UK in line with the lower costs paid by competitors in France and Germany.
Community General Secretary Roy Rickhuss CBE said:
“There is huge potential for our steel industry in the years ahead. This government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure and growth, and the wider path towards a greener economy, will require enormous amounts of steel product. At Community, our argument is that we should be making that steel here in the UK – supporting thousands of well-paid jobs right across the country and investing in the skills and experience that we have in our world-class steel workforce.
“Our new report ‘Steel Reforged’ lays out a road map for how we can revitalise our steel industry over the years ahead, including by securing primary steelmaking capacity which is so crucial to our national security and sovereignty in an unstable and volatile world. The blast furnaces at Scunthorpe are now the UK’s only primary steelmaking capability and the future of that site must be secured.
“There will be challenges ahead, but there are also huge opportunities on the horizon. The Labour government has shown its ambition for the steel sector by earmarking £2.5 billion to help the industry decarbonise. We welcome this, and now urge ministers to go even further by placing steel at the heart of a national industrial strategy fit for the future.”
Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said:
“Make no mistake about it, we stand at a crucial moment for steelmaking in this country. We must ask ourselves the fundamental question of whether we want to be country that produces or a country that imports. At Community, we choose the former, and our new ‘Steel Reforged’ report outlines the prospects for revitalising our steel sector: supporting good quality jobs across the country beyond London and the South-East, and reindustrialising and greening our economy.
“We are grateful for the support our report has already received from parliamentarians and representatives from the steel sector, and we look forward to the opportunity to work with government ministers on its ambitious and achievable recommendations.”
Industry Minister, Sarah Jones said:
“It’s good to see confidence in our Plan for Steel, which we’ve backed with up to £2.5 billion of investment to secure a long-term future for the steel industry.
“We’re exploring all options to help us grow the steel sector in the UK and deliver on our Plan for Change, protecting the workforce, taxpayers and industry.”
Ross Clark, Community Union Convenor at Dalzell Steelworks said:
“It’s been a really difficult few years for all of us at Dalzell, and the situation remains challenging. All of us on site just want to be able to get on with the job, which is producing the best steel plate money can buy.
“The new Community ‘Steel Reforged’ report demonstrates what could be possible at Dalzell with the right investment and upgrades – the opportunities for steel plate over the years ahead are massive, particularly in supplying the offshore wind industry and the defence sector.
“Dalzell has a long proven history of supporting the defence industry. We have an experienced Plate Mill workforce ready and able to produce Steel Plate. That is why it is so infuriating seeing foreign Steel Plate being used in our UK defence contracts. How is this ethical or environmentally acceptable?
“We know that our mill needs modernisation, but the capability and expertise is there to be harnessed.”
Ian Linklater, Chair of the Multi-Union Committee at Scunthorpe, said:
“‘Steel Reforged’ highlights the strategic importance of British Steel in Scunthorpe and the importance of maintaining steelmaking capacity here in the UK – in an uncertain world, we can’t risk becoming reliant on other countries for our steel. The new report sets out a strategy for investing in and growing our steel industry, which is an absolutely essential step for the country – steel underpins our entire manufacturing sector and our national security.”
Mark Davies, Chair of the Community Steel and Wire Committee, said:
“‘Steel Reforged’ highlights the huge potential that exists in our steel sector – not least in our steel workforce which is renowned around the world for its experience, passion and expertise. We need our steel to power the British economy both now and in the future, bringing prosperity and growth to the whole country – not just in London and the South-East of England.”
Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberafan Maesteg – home of the Port Talbot steelworks – said:
“Community’s new report sets out a compelling vision for a competitive British steel industry, recognising the need for Britain to seize the opportunities ahead of us.
“Higher defence spending, new infrastructure projects and a growing offshore wind industry are each driving new demand for steel which we simply must seek to meet here in the UK – by creating a competitive policy environment and investing in the technologies of the future, such as a plate mill and a DRI facility.”
Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East, said:
“Steel is at the heart of communities like mine in Newport, and a future without such a strategically vital industry here in the UK is unthinkable – especially in the volatile world we live in today. ‘Steel Reforged’ lays out the case for comprehensive reform and support for our steel industry, and gives a strong indication of the huge potential that could be unlocked if Britain gives its steel sector a sustainable footing for the future.”
Report author Tim Page, Founding Director of Industrial Paradigm, said:
“Steel is essential for our security. As the UK ramps up defence spending, quality steel will be in high demand. But steel is also vital for our economic security and the future of our planet. ‘Steel Reforged’ shows how steel made in the UK contributes to GDP through industries such as construction, manufacturing and transport. It also highlights the central role of steel in our net zero future.
“The UK steel industry faces challenges but, as this report shows, none of those challenges are insurmountable if we have an intelligent, sustainable industrial strategy and a robust steel strategy alongside it. Most of all, this report shows the pride and commitment of our highly skilled steelworkers. So ‘Steel Reforged’ offers a win-win: a future facing steel sector, ready for the challenges and opportunities we face, and well paid jobs in our industrial communities.”
Gareth Stace, Director-General, UK Steel said:
“Our steel sector is a national asset, vital to our economy, security, and net zero future.
“The Government, UK Steel and Community Union all agree that UK steelmaking has huge potential. But we are fighting against unfair competition, global overcapacity, and crippling energy costs.
“Now is the time for Government, industry, and unions to deliver a bold plan that backs British steel, prioritising UK-made steel for UK projects and creating the right business conditions for investment and growth.”
Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe, said:
“As ‘Steel Reforged’ sets out, the steel industry is at a crossroads. We need urgent action to safeguard jobs, secure fair competition, and drive the clean transition. At industriAll Europe we insist that public support must come with strong social conditions attached. Investing in local green steel, ensuring fair electricity prices, and delivering a Just Transition are not just economic necessities, they are fundamental to our industrial future. These are the common demands of steelworkers across Europe. Workers and their communities cannot wait any longer—now is the time for the UK government to set out its long-term plan for this strategic industry.”
© Community Trade Union 2025
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