Starmer says he is ‘horrified' steelworks are mothballed due to SNP's ‘bad deal'
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is 'horrified' that steelworks in Lanarkshire have been effectively mothballed, and is calling on John Swinney to step in to revive them.
The Prime Minister said the SNP-run Scottish Government had failed to find work to keep the sites thriving after negotiating a 'bad deal' which saw them being bought by a new owner.
The plants at Dalzell and Clydebridge were bought by the Liberty House group in 2016, backed by a £7 million loan from the Scottish Government.
The group, which is part of Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, also owns the Lochaber aluminium smelter.
The Labour leader's comments come after the US trade deal which was reached on Thursday – which cut tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium.
Mr Swinney's party said Sir Keir was attempting to 'wash over' his own industrial failures.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister said: 'I'm proud we've secured a deal that slashes tariffs on the steel and aluminium industries to zero.
'This Labour government will always support our proud steel industry. So I'm horrified that the Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks in Lanarkshire are lying mothballed, with workers on furlough.
'All because the SNP negotiated a bad deal and have had no industrial strategy to bring work to those mills.
'We're standing up for Scottish steel – now Swinney needs to step in and get those plants up and running again.'
It is understood that some staff at Dalzell in Motherwell have been furloughed and there is no work going through the plant.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the trade deal with India, which cuts costs on the crucial Scottish export of whisky.
SNP MP Pete Wishart laid the blame on the UK Government, saying it had failed to back the Scottish industry in contrast to the action taken to protect plants south of the border.
He said: 'The audacity of Keir Starmer to attempt to wash over the UK government's betrayal of Scottish industry is insulting.
'They put emergency support in for Scunthorpe steelworks and deliberately legislated to exclude Scotland and therefore, Dalzell works from any such help, now or in the future.
'Westminster did nothing to help the SNP save Dalzell. It did nothing to help us save Lochaber. And now it has done nothing to save Grangemouth.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
PM acknowledges need for clarity on winter fuel payment changes
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said "the sooner" his government provides clarity on changes to the winter fuel payment "the better".Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, he reiterated that ministers were reviewing which pensioners should receive the payment but added he wanted to be "absolutely clear where the money is coming from" before setting out the details. After coming to power in July last year, the Labour government announced it was withdrawing the annual payment - worth up to £300 - from more than 10 million last month Sir Keir said he would be partially reversing that decision, making changes to allow "more pensioners" to qualify again. The government is yet to spell out which pensioners will regain their entitlement to the money, although Treasury Minister Darren Jones has said millionaires should not be getting "subsidy for their energy bills" and that payments would be "targeted to those that need it the most". An announcement could come at the Budget in the autumn or even as early as next week when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her Spending Review. Asked if he still believed his government had been right to restrict winter fuel payments last summer, Sir Keir said he had inherited an economy that was "completely broken"."It was our duty to stabilise the economy and to fill in that £22bn black hole. I'm not going to resile from that."His U-turn came after pressure from some Labour MPs, who are also expressing concern about the two-child benefit cap and proposed cuts to disability on whether he would consider increasing taxes to raise more money, the prime minister said the UK's underlying problem in recent years had been "flat or anaemic growth"."I don't think you can tax yourself to growth - we have got high taxes as it is."Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have called for the winter fuel payments to be restored to all pensioners. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said "millionaire" pensioners should not be eligible. Previously, the winter fuel payment had been paid to all pensioners regardless of income or wealth. Households with a pensioner under 80 received an annual lump sum of £200, rising to £300 for pensioners over taking office, Labour restricted the payment to those pensioners who qualify for pension credit and other income-related benefits - a move which saved an estimated £ income threshold for pension credit, the main benefit to qualify to continue to receive winter fuel payments, is currently £11,800 a year for individuals and £18,023 for pensioner a new way of increasing the number of eligible pensioners is likely to be tricky for the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said creating a new means-test would create "hassle" for pensioners and result in many not claiming the think tank, the Resolution Foundation, has estimated that expanding the threshold pension credit by 10% could cost £2.5bn.
The Herald Scotland
19 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Analysis: Is Reform UK's Nigel Farage a threat to the Union?
Just a few months ago the prospect of Mr Farage winning the keys to Number 10 would have seemed unbelievable. Reform has just five MPs but unprecedented gains in local elections in England in May, plus successive polling, has now led to the former Ukip leader becoming the bookmakers' favourite to be Britain's next Prime Minister. READ MORE: Farage 'can't be trusted to oppose SNP' says leading unionist campaign group Analysis: Can Reform UK actually win the Hamilton by-election? Aberdeen councillor Duncan Massey defects to Reform John Swinney news, interviews and updates on the First Minister With the rise of Reform observers are now thinking through the consequences and what will be the impact on the constitutional question. Of course, there are the caveats that this is just one poll and that the next general election isn't scheduled to be held until sometime before August 2029. Political parties' fortunes and misfortunes can radically change in four years. Sir Keir Starmer may be able to move on from some of the controversial decisions such as the cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners which damaged his and his government's popularity in the weeks that followed Labour's election success in July last year. Perhaps Labour may even change leaders and refresh its offering ahead of polling day? Maybe the Tories will recover, though at the moment that is looking very unlikely. But even should none of these changes take place and Reform do storm to victory in 2029, recent history should calm unionist fears that the UK is about to break up. Over the last decade or so similar polling forecasts were made about the rise in support for independence based on various scenarios regarded as fundamentally unpalatable to the values and outlook of Scots. First it was Brexit - leaving the EU would make Scotland independent it was claimed by the SNP. Then it was the Boris Johnson "clown" ; then it was Scotland apparently handling Covid better than the Conservative government, then it was Liz Truss and her dodgy budget and then it was Keir Starmer's and his various "betrayals" of pensioners and the disabled. Yet nine years after the Brexit vote and the turmoil in UK politics which was left in its wake Scotland is still very much part of the Union. So based upon what has happened before I am sceptical whether a Prime Minister Farage would turn Scotland into a nation of Yessers. Besides the 54% support for independence is somewhat off from the level of support First Minister John Swinney suggested would be needed to bring about indyref2. Last month Mr Swinney talked about securing "demonstrable support" for independence and compared it to the 1997 referendum for a Scottish Parliament, which was backed by around 74% of Scots. But it seems that whatever happens at Westminster a certain proportion of Scots may rail about the state of affairs and show their disapproval in opinion polls, before simply getting used to the political landscape there and reluctantly tolerating it. It's a phenomenon which illustrates the limitations of the negative case for independence. So it's probably safe to reassure pro-UK voters that they need not fear that the UK is on course to break up in the next decade, whether Keir Starmer remains in Downing Street after polling day in 2029, gives way to a Labour rival or whether Nigel Farage indeed wins power.
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer defies Labour clamour for tax hikes to fund more welfare as he hints at winter fuel allowance move soon - as MPs turn on Rachel Reeves
Keir Starmer defied a rising Labour clamour for tax hikes today as he hinted that details of the winter fuel allowance climbdown will emerge soon. The PM poured cold water on left-wing demands for 'wealth taxes' to fund spending on benefits and service, arguing that the burden is already 'high'. But he suggested there is room for action on the two-child benefit cap, and hinted an announcement on winter fuel payments is close. The comments came as a Survation poll found two thirds of Labour MPs oppose Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' fiscal rules - and a fifth favour tax rises over spending cuts. A revolt is brewing over proposed curbs to disability benefits, as the Treasury desperately scrambles to balance the books with the economy stalling and calls for more defence funding. It has emerged that Deputy PM Angela Rayner lobbied for tax rises instead of a welfare crackdown before the Spring Statement. The political danger to Sir Keir was underlined last week when Nigel Farage outflanked him by committing to axe the two-child cap and fully reverse winter fuel cuts. Reform has been enjoying a surge in the polls since the local elections, well ahead of Labour and the Tories. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Keir said: 'I want to look again at where the threshold is. That's for sure. I'll be clear with you. 'In relation to that, I do think it was our duty to stabilise the economy and to fill in that £22billion black hole. And I'm not going to resile from that.' Ministers 'need to be absolutely clear where the money is coming from' before they set out details of a partial U-turn on the winter fuel payment, Sir Keir said. However, he suggested that changes would be announced soon, and be in place for this winter. 'I take your point, which is that if we want to look again at which pensioners are eligible, then the sooner we have clarity on that, the better,' he said. The premier was also asked about mounting speculation that the two-child benefit cap will be scrapped. 'I don't think this is a silver bullet. I will say that straight away,' he said. 'I think there are many measures that contribute to child poverty, and therefore I don't take the sort of binary approach: 'It's either this or nothing'. 'On the other hand, as I say, as we go forward with this review, I am clear in my own mind that I want this Labour Government to bring down child poverty, and I'm determined that that is what we will do.'
