House of Commons to be recalled for first time since Afghanistan war

Parliament will be recalled tomorrow for an emergency debate on British Steel amid fears the company is due to run out of raw materials in a matter of weeks.

MPs will return to the from their constituencies at 11am on Saturday after the Speaker granted a request from the government to recall Parliament. The Commons does not usually sit on Saturdays and is currently on a recess break for Easter.

It is the first time the Commons has been recalled since August 18, 2021 when MPs returned to Parliament to debate the situation in . Parliament has been recalled only 34 times since 1948.

made a request to Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to call MPs back so the House can "take forward legislative proposals to ensure the continued operation of British Steel blast furnaces is safeguarded". Ministers have so far suggested they prefer a commercial solution regarding the future of the company's furnaces in Scunthorpe but nationalisation of the firm has not been ruled out. British Steel is currently owned by Chinese firm Jingye.

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The Prime Minister has been facing calls to nationalise the industry to stop the furnaces closing, leading to the loss of thousands of jobs and the UK losing its last remaining facility for making non-recycled steel. A union official and help under-threat British Steel, or there will be nothing left to save.

Workers say the blast furnaces at its plant in Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire, will run cold in mid-May if raw materials, including iron-ore pellets, to keep them running are not bought by the end of the working week - today (Friday). It comes as the steel industry battles with slapping 25% tariffs on exports to the US, which came into force last month.

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, works convenor for Unite Martin Foster told the : "This week is very much sink or swim for us. If we can't secure the supply of raw materials by tomorrow, we are pretty much sunk. It's vital that the government act now or there may be nothing left to nationalise." Martin, a third-generation steelworker, added: "The company are speaking with the government as we speak. We're sat here waiting for the company to call us in and give us the outcome from those talks".

It comes after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy earlier this week said a "commercial solution" for British Steel is "within reach", as the government considers nationalising the Chinese-owned business . Ms Nandy told the that British Steel - which employs 2,700 people - will "continue to be an important part of our economy for years to come" and an agreement over its future was "achievable and within sight".

said earlier today that the UK is "resolved" to do everything it can to secure the "best deal possible" with the US, after a senior Trump adviser poured cold water on the idea of tariff concessions. The Chancellor insisted she was also aware of the need for the UK to strike better trade arrangements with other partners across the , as she travels to Poland to meet European financial ministers.

Roy Rickhuss CBE, General Secretary of steelworkers' union Community, said: "We welcome this decision to recall parliament - it is in the national interest that a solution is found to secure a future for British Steel as a vital strategic business. We can't allow Britain to become the only G7 country without primary steelmaking capacity.

"In the absence of a deal with Jingye to continue blast furnace operations at Scunthorpe as part of a transition to greener steelmaking, it is essential that we see urgent action taken to bring British Steel into public ownership."

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