The House of Representatives was recalled on Saturday, and the House Speaker confirmed that it was discussing the nationalization of British Steel.
The move comes after the Chinese company Jingye did not sign a contract to maintain the two explosive furnaces at its British Steel's Scunthorpe factory.
The Commons is expected to sit at 11am, and MPs will be called out from Easter breaks to discuss leading assets to public ownership to maintain UK steelmaking.
In a statement from the House, the spokesman said: “The Speaker of the House has requested that the Government be recalled to the House at 11am on April 12th to proceed with legislative proposals to ensure that the continued operation of UK steel furnaces is protected.”
The form of how governments control British Steel is yet to be known.
Earlier in the week, government sources said nationalising British Steel would not be easy, but would be a measure of last resort.
The last time Congress was recalled during the break was in 2021, when Afghanistan had to be evacuated during the Taliban acquisition. It is also the first recall of Congress on Saturday since 1982.
One MP said the move is “very badly down.” A colleague did not warn about the need to return to Westminster when it was known for several weeks that British Steel was in trouble.
British Steel manufactures most of the UK's railway tracks, and the government is seeking contracts to keep the factories open.
The industry will suffer a 25% tariff on steel exports to the US imposed by Donald Trump.
A three-day lecture was given after the government offered to buy raw materials to keep the plants operating for the next few weeks, as they tried to find a long-term solution.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, along with Jingi's chairman, Lee Gampo, played a leading role in the talks.
According to labor sources, Reynolds was scheduled to update Kiel's Starge on progress in Friday's talks.
Scunthorpe is the last remaining Steelworks that can produce steel from iron ore, and some are considered strategically important to the UK. However, Jingye said last month it plans to close two blast furnaces at its factory, putting 2,700 jobs at risk. Since then, they have refused to pay for new raw materials and have not yet paid for coal and iron ore delivery.
The government had provided £500 million in financial support to switch explosion furnaces to cleaner electric furnaces, but Jingye had made even more demands.
This week's consultations are believed to have stalled when Jingye balked on the terms attached to the offer to pay for the new ingredients. The delay in reaching the agreement has led to an increase in alarm for workers who feared that at least one explosion furnace would be forced to close soon next week, leading to inevitable unemployment.
