It's as true today as it was 100 years ago that he UK needs Sheffield's steel - this is why
Sheffield’s steel industry remains as crucially important as it ever has been
Throughout the last 200 years, the city has been a centre of innovation which has changed the world, through inventions ranging from the Bessemer converter to stainless steel.
Much of the city still bears names which echo that history, with names like Firth Park, Fox Valley and the Jessop Hospital all linking back to those times and that steel heritage.
While things may have changed over the years, the city still has a vital place in steel manufacturing, with companies including the now state-owned Forgemasters in Brightside, Marcegaglia in Tinsley, and Liberty Speciality Steels in Stocksbridge.
And although Forgemasters was given some security when it was taken over by the Government because of the importance of its work to the Royal Navy, there have been concerns in recent years over the future of Liberty, which as well as the site in Stocksbridge, also operates a major site in Rotherham.
The city’s steelmaking holds a special place of pride in the city. But it is not just the vanity of the city which should move the Government to ensure the survival of these important assets.
A functioning and productive steel industry is also key to national security, as was realised in 2019 when Forgemasters was nationalised.
We currently live in turbulent times. In Europe, there is war raging in Ukraine, after Russia invaded parts of the country.
There are international concerns over war in the Middle East. There are concerns over how much Europe can depend on security help from America.
In times like this, it becomes clear that the country cannot allow its steel industry to wither on the vine any further. Steel is a vital commodity and the UK cannot just depend on cheaper imported steel from abroad, hostage to the market and overseas interests..
That is why new laws which may open the door to protection of the steel industry, in Sheffield and elsewhere, are important, and should be used if the nation’s steelmaking capacity is under threat.
The nation depended on Sheffield’s steel industry throughout two world wars.
Armour plate for the Battleships at Jutland or tanks on The Somme? The country turned to Sheffield. Spitfire crankshafts to power the RAF and stop Nazi air raids? The Don Valley was again the answer.
The need for self reliance in a critical industry has never gone away. Neither, therefore, should Sheffield’s steel industry be allowed to.
The steel industry has contracted massively since it was denationalised in the 1980s. The days when everyone knew someone working in the industry have gone.
Denationalisation may have saved the taxpayer money. But it has long been recognised that the strategic value of of an industry is one of the reasons for nationalisation. The fact this was even clear to the Tories in 2019 shows the argument for state backing for steel, including that we produce here in Sheffield, is won.