Government 'dedicated' to steel industry in the wake of 350 job losses in South Yorkshire and Wales

Ms Leadsom said since 2013 they had provided more than £600m of support, including £300m relief to make electricity costs more competitive, a new fund of £250m to support innovation and clean steel production and access to a share of £66m for new technologies.

She added: “We remain dedicated to maintaining a stable and thriving future for the UK steel industry. We have left no stone unturned in our ongoing support for the steel sector and will continue to do so.”

The government publishes an annual Steel Pipeline of upcoming national infrastructure projects to enable business to plan for demand, she added. And it was rolling out public procurement guidance to improve the competitiveness of UK firms.

Last week Liberty announced it was consulting on 250 redundancies at Speciality Steels in Stocksbridge, 33 in Rotherham and about 70 in Wales. Bosses blamed weak demand due to politicial uncertainty and issues around Brexit.

Ms Leadsom’s comments came as Sheffield MP Gill Furniss raised her concerns with the Prime Minister.

During PMQs the shadow minister for steel asked if the government would bring forward a comprehensive plan for the industry.

She said: “Last Thursday we received the devastating news that more than 350 steel jobs will be lost in South Yorkshire and South Wales.

“Will the government bring forward a comprehensive plan for the steel industry that tackles high energy costs, business rates and ensures that UK steel is at the heart of all public infrastructure plans?

“Action is needed now, will the Prime Minister stay true to his word and repay the trust of communities that voted for him only last month?”

Yesterday, she and other Labour MPs, Sarah Champion MP (Rotherham), Jessica Morden MP (Newport East) and John Heeley MP (Wentworth and Dearne), met with Nadhim Zahawi MP, the Minister of State for Industry, to encourage the government to urgently introduce a long-term plan for the steel sector in the UK.