L

Lord Hendy (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 12 April 2025

Debate

Steel Industry

Contribution

My Lords, the Government are to be congratulated on acting decisively and promptly. Like, I think, the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Wirral, I came here thinking that we were going to be debating the nationalisation of the steel industry; I confess that I am disappointed to find out that we are not. However, the Bill that the Government have put forward buys space and time for them to put forward a real plan for the saving of the steel industry. I hope that the ultimate decision will be to nationalise the steel industry. It is a national asset, as many speakers have described today—and by “national asset” I do not just mean the blast furnaces, the presses, the cranes and the buildings: the workforce also form a national asset and they deserve to be protected. The Bill that the Government have put forward demonstrates the complete failure of the privatisation of this industry. I hope the Government will conclude that nationalisation is the answer and I hope, too, that they will consider that remedy for Grangemouth, the water industry and, of course, the energy industry, whose profiteering has done so much damage to the steel industry.

More from Lord Hendy (Lab)

Other recent Hansard contributions by the same speaker.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

Partner sites