Campaigners today urge the Tories not to slap British workers with a “double betrayal” by ordering foreign steel for a shipbuilding deal handed to a Spanish-led bid.
Unions and MPs were furious in December when the £1.6billion contract for three Fleet Solid Support vessels was awarded to the Team Resolute consortium, led by Madrid-based Navantia.
While 1,200 jobs will be created in the UK - including at Harland & Wolff in Belfast - much of the work will take place in Cadiz.
Now, unions want the Government to guarantee only UK-made steel will be used for the 709ft, 40,000-tonne Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, which will resupply Royal Navy warships with food, ammunition and explosives.
Prospect union general secretary Mike Clancy has written to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace urging him to insist the shipbuilders only use British steel.
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Prospect union General Secretary Mike Clancy (Courtesy of Prospect union)In the letter, seen by the Mirror, Mr Clancy says it is “deeply disappointing” the deal “has been awarded to a Spanish-led consortium over a British-led Team UK bid, which would have created many more skilled jobs here in the UK, made the largest contribution to the UK Exchequer and allowed HM Treasury to gain revenue from potential export orders”.
Blasting the “short-sighted decision”, he calls on the Defence Secretary to “confirm the Government will be seeking cast-iron and legally enforceable guarantees” from Team Resolute on the share of the work that will take place in the UK, the “proportion of the total contract value that will be spent in the UK” and “that British steel will be used to build the FSS ships”.
Mr Clancy told the Mirror: “Having squandered one opportunity to maximise the benefit to UK shipbuilding, it’s critical that the Government doesn’t repeat its betrayal by using foreign steel to build British warships.
British steelworkers could benefit from the order“As we enter the new year, the Government has a chance to show it is serious about investing in our industry by building these ships with steel forged here in Britain.”
Britain’s £2.4billion steel industry directly employs 33,700 workers, with another 43,000 staff in supply chains.
The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since the sector was hit by plant closures and thousands of job losses in 2015.
Critics have previously blasted the Government for buying foreign steel for big public procurement contracts.
Community steelworkers’ union national officer Alun Davies said: “The Government must state clearly that our British ships will be built with British steel and manufactured by our first-class workforce.
Community steelworkers' union national officer Alun Davies (Courtesy of Community)“There is a clear choice facing this Government - either they back our workforce and our industries or they choose to offshore thousands of good jobs to other countries.”
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Steel, said: "British steelmakers make the best steel money can buy, but far too much of our steel is imported from abroad.
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“The British Government must give cast-iron guarantees that British infrastructure and defence projects will be made with British steel, and not from imported steel – which of course only serves to increase carbon emissions, weaken our national security and undermine British steelworkers."
An MoD spokeswoman said: “We encourage the sourcing of UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible.
“The preferred bidder has made clear that it intends to use UK steel wherever practical.”
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