0:00
the UK government is confident it will
0:02
beat a race against time to keep the
0:03
British steel furnaces running after
0:05
taking control of the plant from Chinese
0:07
owners Jing this weekend civil servants
0:10
and steel workers were rushing to secure
0:12
the raw materials to keep the skunthorp
0:13
sites furnaces going which supply
0:16
network rail before they run out of time
0:18
but number 10 has now said it is
0:20
confident it will secure the supply of
0:21
materials with two ships docked nearby
0:24
and another on its way to the UK it
0:26
comes after business secretary Jonathan
0:28
Reynolds declined to guarantee on Sunday
0:29
that the government could get enough raw
0:31
materials before existing supplies run
0:33
out union officials said earlier they
0:35
were hopeful that the materials needed
0:37
to keep furnaces burning at the plant
0:38
will be delivered within the next 48
0:40
hours the prime minister's official
0:42
spokesman has now confirmed to
0:43
journalists that the government is now
0:45
confident in securing the supply of
0:46
materials needed karma's spokesman also
0:49
confirmed that they will be working with
0:51
the management to identify further raw
0:53
materials needed to keep a steady
0:54
pipeline and to keep the furnaces
0:56
burning two ships carrying materials are
0:59
docked at Immingham port in North
1:00
Lincolnshire with a third ship currently
1:02
on route off the coast of Africa making
1:04
its way to the UK he said number 10
1:06
would not say whether money had been
1:08
exchanged for the materials and said
1:09
they would reach the plant in the coming
1:11
days so what's been going on mps and
1:14
lords passed an emergency law on
1:16
Saturday giving the UK government
1:17
control of the Lincolnshshire site to
1:19
prevent the owners closing the furnaces
1:21
risking almost 3,000 jobs it's now
1:23
crucial for the government to find
1:24
enough new raw materials to keep the
1:26
furnaces going as if their temperature
1:28
drops too low it is nearly impossible to
1:30
switch them back on but dozens of
1:32
businesses including steel producers
1:34
Tata and Rain Steel have offered to help
1:36
the government and unions have also
1:38
appeared to criticize Jingier for their
1:40
approach treasury Minister James Murray
1:42
said this morning the government was
1:44
negotiating in good faith with Jingier
1:46
but when it became clear they were
1:47
accelerating the plans to close the
1:49
blast furnaces we had to step in and Roy
1:52
Rickus of the Community Steel Workers
1:54
Trade Union said Jingier was seen to be
1:57
working against the business by not
1:58
ordering raw materials and turning away
2:01
supplies he claimed they wanted to close
2:03
the blast furnaces so they were going to
2:05
import steel from China to run through
2:07
our mills downing Street also insisted
2:09
it was not aware of any sabotage
2:11
attempts at the steelworks but that
2:13
Jingier wanted to shut the blast
2:15
furnaces which wasn't an outcome we
2:16
wanted what did the business secretary
2:18
say speaking to the BBC on Sunday
2:20
Jonathan Reynolds said and I quote "If
2:23
we hadn't acted the blast furnaces were
2:25
gone steel production in the UK primary
2:28
steel producing would have gone." He
2:29
also said and I quote "So we've given
2:31
ourselves the opportunity we are in
2:33
control of the site my officials are on
2:35
site right now to give us the chance to
2:37
do that but he argued to Sky News that
2:39
he did not think the Chinese government
2:40
was behind Jing's rejection of the UK
2:43
government's offer of 500 million pounds
2:45
of support for British steel however he
2:47
said that he actually thinks they will
2:49
understand why we could not accept the
2:51
proposition that was put to us in terms
2:53
of losing that essential national
2:54
capacity reynolds also admitted the
2:56
government expects to lose money running
2:58
British Steel but that allowing it to
3:00
collapse would have cost11 billion
3:01
pounds and the loss of Virgin UK steel
3:04
making british Steel has announced Alan
3:06
Bell as interim chief executive officer
3:08
and Lisa Coulson as interim chief
3:09
commercial officer with immediate effect
3:11
on Monday what do you make of the race
3:13
against time at British Steel let us
3:15
know your thoughts in the comments and
3:16
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