‘Likely’ British Steel will be nationalised, says business secretary Jonathan Reynolds

Published

5 days ago

April 16, 2025

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Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said it is “likely” that British Steel will be nationalised.

It comes after he appeared to row back on his claim that he would not bring a Chinese company into the steel sector again after the government had to urgently step in to save the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe.

Mr Reynolds, speaking to reporters in the Lincolnshire town, said that nationalisation was the “likely option at this stage”.

He added: “What we are now going to do, having secured both control of the site and the supply of raw materials, so the blast furnaces won’t close in a matter of days, is work on the future.

“We’ve got the ownership question, which is pressing.

“I was clear when I gave the speech in parliament – we know there is a limited lifespan of the blast furnaces, and we know that what we need for the future is a private sector partner to come in and work with us on that transformation and co-fund that transformation.”

Reynolds rows back

Mr Reynolds said he would look at Chinese firms “in a different way” following the race to save British Steel, but did not rule out their involvement completely.

The comments were at odds with his previous remarks to Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, when he said he would not “personally bring a Chinese company into our steel sector” again, describing steel as a “sensitive area” in the UK.

The government has taken over British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, the last in the UK capable of producing virgin steel, after talks with its Chinese owners, Jingye, broke down.

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The company recently cancelled orders for supplies of the raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces running, sparking a race against time to keep it operational.

Materials secured by the government arrived at the site on Tuesday, but questions remain about the long-term future of British Steel and whether it will be fully nationalised or the private sector will get involved.

Earlier on Tuesday, industry minister Sarah Jones said she is “not ruling out” the possibility of another Chinese partner.

She said having a pragmatic relationship with Beijing, the world’s second-biggest economy, is still important and stringent tests would apply “to a Chinese company as they would to any other company”.

Asked for clarity on his position during a visit to the port of Immingham, where materials from two ships are being unloaded and transported to the plant, Mr Reynolds said: “I think we’ve got to recognise that steel is a sensitive sector.

“A lot of the issues in the global economy with steel come from production and dumping of steel products… so I think you would look at a Chinese firm in a different way.

“But I’m really keen to stress the action we’ve taken here was to step in because it was one specific company that I thought wasn’t acting in the UK’s national interest, and we had to take the action we did.”

Explainer: Why has the government rescued British Steel?

The materials that arrived on Tuesday, including coking coal and iron, are enough to keep the furnaces running for weeks, the Department for Business and Trade said.

They are needed because if the furnaces cool down too much, the molten iron solidifies and blocks the furnaces, making it extremely difficult and expensive to restart them.

Switching off furnaces is a costly nightmare the govt wants to avoid

There’s no switch that easily turns a blast furnace on and off.

Temperatures inside can approach 2,000C and to protect the structure the interior is lined with ceramic insulation.

But the ceramic bricks expand and contract depending on the temperature, and any change needs to be done carefully over several weeks to stop them cracking.

Molten material inside the furnace also needs to be drained by drilling a hole through the wall of the furnace.

It’s a dangerous and expensive process, normally only ever done when there’s a major planned refurbishment.

That’s why the government wants to keep the furnaces at Scunthorpe burning.

The problem is, supplies for the furnaces are running low.

They need pellets of iron ore – the main raw material for making steel.

And they also need a processed form of coal called coke – the fuel that provides both the heat and the chemical reaction to purify the iron so it’s ready to make strong steel alloy.

Without a fresh supply of both the furnaces may have to be turned off in just a fortnight. And that would be a complex, costly nightmare the government wants to avoid.

‘Chinese ownership truly dreadful’

Opposition politicians have accused China of sabotage to increase reliance on its steel products, and want the country to be prevented from future dealings not only with steel but any UK national infrastructure.

Veteran Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the government needs to define which industries are “strategic” – and prevent China from being allowed to invest in such sectors.

Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said reverting to Chinese ownership would be like finding “your house ransacked and then leaving your doors unlocked”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took the same position, saying the thought the government “could even contemplate another Chinese owner of British steel is truly dreadful”, and that he would not have China “in our nuclear program, anywhere near our telecoms or anything else”.

“They are not our friends,” he added.

Number 10 said on Monday that it was not aware of any “sabotage” at the plant and there is no block on Chinese companies.

The Chinese embassy has urged the British government not to “politicise” the situation by “linking it to security issues”, saying it is “an objective fact that British steel companies have generally encountered difficulties in recent years”.

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Jingye reported losses of around £700k a day at Scunthorpe, which will now come at a cost to the taxpayer after emergency legislation on Saturday allowed the government to take it over.

During Tuesday morning’s interview round, Ms Jones said the government had offered Jingye money in return for investment and “we think that there is a model there that we could replicate with another private sector company”.

But she said there “isn’t another private sector company there waiting in the wings” currently, and that it may be a “national solution” that is needed.

She said “all of the options” were expensive but that it would have cost more to the taxpayer to allow the site to shut.

A YouGov poll shows the majority of the public (61%) support the government’s decision to nationalise British Steel.

UK

Chelsea fans condemn ‘unethical’ ticket resale site – which club chairman invests in

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2025

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Chelsea fans condemn 'unethical' ticket resale site - which club chairman invests in

Premier League match tickets at Chelsea have been selling for more than twice the price of a season ticket on an American exchange website with a familiar director and investor to supporters – club chairman Todd Boehly.

Amid growing fan fury, Sky News was able to access the Vivid Seats platform on different devices last week from London – and saw tickets for the visit of Liverpool on 4 May, priced by Chelsea at a maximum of £80, being sold for between £537 and £2,666.

Some tickets were listed as being sold by traders.

Chelsea’s official website appeared to show no availability for this premium fixture, with the Blues battling for Champions League qualification and Liverpool potentially celebrating being crowned Premier League winners.

The most expensive Stamford Bridge season ticket for this campaign was £1,015.

Vivid is listed by the Premier League among “unauthorised ticket websites” with a message: “We would urge fans to exercise extreme caution when dealing with these websites.”

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has written to the Premier League to ask that Vivid – given its ties with a club’s shareholder – “ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value”.

Mr Boehly – part of the consortium that replaced Roman Abramovich as owner in 2022 – has not addressed accusations of a “conflict of interest” or claims he is undermining efforts to combat ticket touting.

There are anti-touting warnings on signs in the streets approaching the stadium.

An official Chelsea Ticket Exchange allows season ticket holders to sell their tickets “at the pro-rata price of season tickets” to a club member “in a safe, secure environment”.

While Chelsea’s website says to only buy tickets in the UK from official sellers, it adds: “Many of the websites that advertise and sell tickets online are not within the jurisdiction of UK law.

“This means, while we report these sites when we see Chelsea tickets on them, there is little we can do to shut down the sites.”

On Vivid, we did see warnings telling visiting users not to buy seats in the home sections and a pop-up eventually appeared after browsing the availability, saying: “Tickets for the EPL matches are not currently available for purchase in your location.”

No attempt was made by us to buy tickets. But should we have been able to see the listings at all?

Sky News first asked for comment from Vivid last Monday and continued to see ticket listings with variable prices in pounds during the week. It took until Friday night for any form of response.

“Vivid Seats respectfully adheres to the laws that are in place in the United Kingdom and is not in violation of any regulations around EPL tickets,” the email read in part. “As such, Vivid Seats’ policy restricts the sale and marketing of EPL tickets in the United Kingdom.”

When Sky News checked the website again on Saturday the listings for Premier League matches were no longer visible as they are from outside of Britain.

Asked if they were no longer visible after our inquiries, Vivid’s official replied: “The conclusions that you are drawing are factually incorrect.

“We understand that people will try to find ways to circumvent technology and as such, we have validation protocols in place in order to restrict the sale and marketing of EPL tickets in the United Kingdom.”

Again, Vivid insisted it adheres to laws and regulations in Britain.

But the same official did not respond to an email detailing how we were able to view the tickets listings from London on separate days, without using VPN software that can make your browser seem as if it’s accessing the internet from another country.

‘It’s the only way I was going to get here’

Ticket exchange websites can be the only way for some fans overseas to come to matches.

When Ipswich played at Stamford Bridge on 13 April, Baz Gillespie was able to watch after 20 years living in Cyprus by paying a vastly-inflated £300 for two tickets on a website other than Vivid.

“The only way I was going to get here was that way,” he said, remembering the days he could just queue up and pay a fiver for a ticket.

The same match was Martin van Dijk’s first-ever game at the Bridge, having come from the Netherlands after paying €150 (£128) on another exchange website after initially trying through Vivid.

“If there’s no other option, and you want to visit, it’s the only way, but I’d rather get it through like the normal way,” he said.

‘An absolute disgrace’

It is the “normal way” that so many supporters want to protect and are aghast at Mr Boehly’s links to Vivid, predating his purchase of a stake in Chelsea.

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” supporter Ben Grey said. “He shouldn’t be involved in Chelsea and a reselling website. It’s unethical from a basic perspective.

“The club are coming out with communication saying that they’re against ticket reselling and our semi-majority shareholder [has a website] reselling tickets to our games.”

Asked what the Premier League should do, he replied: “I’m a massive Chelsea fan, I don’t want Chelsea to be hit hard by anything.

“But the fact of the matter is they need to sort that out and if they’re allowing there to be an owner of a club who’s reselling tickets, it’s a disgrace.”

‘Not a very good look’

Another fan, Rich Still, called it “21st century greed”.

The issue is resonating with young children.

Rhys Edwards, watching with his father, said: “It doesn’t look too good on Chelsea and their owners to be fair.

“Saying that [the website] is not authorised by the league they’re playing in isn’t a very good look.”

Officials with Chelsea, the Premier League and Mr Boehly declined to comment.

The Vivid statement to Sky News stressed: “It is important to note that Vivid Seats does not set the base price for tickets sold on its marketplace or receive any revenue from that base price; only the seller sets and receives the base ticket price.”

‘It’s like the Wild West’

Vivid highlighted to Sky News its “long-standing partnership”, including being a backer of a 2023 summer tour of the United States.

Chelsea’s website featured a quote saying: “We are pleased to join with a company committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, teams and artists they love.”

The government has launched a consultation to prevent people from being ripped off in Britain by the resale of tickets.

The limit could range from the cost of the original ticket to a 30% uplift to stop the public being “fleeced” by professional touts.

Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, Rupa Huq, has separately proposed a change to the law to improve pricing transparency on secondary ticketing sites.

“It’s an unregulated market,” she told Sky News. “It’s like the Wild West. It needs getting back into control.”

UK

Woman stabbed to death in Enfield, north London

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2025

admin

Woman stabbed to death in Enfield, north London

A murder investigation is under way after a woman was stabbed to death in north London.

Police were called to an address in Ayley Croft, Enfield, around 7pm on Saturday following reports of a stabbing.

Emergency workers treated a 45-year-old woman but she died at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said.

The victim’s next of kin has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.

No one has been arrested in connection with her death.

Police have been seen focusing on Gainsborough House, a high-rise block on the estate.

An officer was spotted at the window on the fifth floor. Patrols have also been seen outside.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this difficult time.

“As our investigation continues, there will be an increased police presence in the area, and a crime scene remains in place.

“We understand this will be very distressing to the local community and anyone who has concerns can speak to local officers.”

Police are appealing for dashcam footage from anyone who was driving through Ayley Croft between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday.

UK

Ranked: Britain’s 10 worst airports for flight delays

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2025

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Ranked: Britain's 10 worst airports for flight delays

Gatwick is the UK’s worst airport for flight delays for the second year running, according to new data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

After suffering from continued air traffic control (ATC) disruptions, departures from the West Sussex airport were delayed by more than 23 minutes on average in 2024.

In 2023, its flights were delayed by nearly 27 minutes – so the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, has seen an improvement.

A spokesperson said the airport had a “robust plan” to improve things further in 2025, including a new method to separate arriving aircraft, and trialling the co-ordination of connecting jet bridges to planes remotely.

They said Gatwick remains “the world’s most efficient single-runway airport, with flights departing or arriving every 55 seconds”.

Gatwick was badly impacted by ATC staff shortages both in Europe and in its own control tower last year, which a 2024 report by the Royal Aeronautical Society suggested may be in part due to the pandemic.

It said staffing was reduced because of a downturn in traffic during lockdowns, and recruiting and training new ATC workers can take up to three years.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said passengers should expect better than “stuck in terminals” for hours “with little information or support”.

UK’s top ten worst airports for delays – ranked

10 – Cardiff Airport

Cardiff had average delays of 17 minutes and 36 seconds.

9 – Luton Airport

Luton recorded average delays of 17 minutes and 42 seconds in 2024.

That was an improvement on the year before, with the airport recording delays of nearly 23 minutes in 2023.

8 – Bournemouth Airport

Bournemouth also saw an improvement.

Despite recording average delays of 17 minutes and 48 seconds, it saw around a two-and-a-half minute improvement on the year before.

7 – Edinburgh Airport

Scotland’s busiest airport had average delays of 18 minutes and six seconds in 2024.

That was an improvement of nearly three-and-a-half minutes from the 12 months previous.

6 – Exeter Airport

Exeter, on the other hand, saw growing delays in 2024.

Last year’s data showed average delays of 15 minutes and 42 seconds at the airport.

In 2024, that figure jumped to 19 minutes.

5 – Teesside International Airport

Teesside also recorded longer delays of around two minutes on average.

In 2024, its departing flights were delayed by an average of 19 minutes and six seconds.

4 – Stansted Airport

Stansted recorded average delays of 19 minutes and 36 seconds in 2024, a 30-second increase on the previous year.

3 – Manchester Airport

The UK’s third-busiest airport came third on the list with average delays of 20 minutes last year.

In 2023, its delays were longer by nearly two minutes.

2 – Birmingham Airport

Birmingham saw delays of 21 minutes and 18 seconds.

Despite moving up the list, it improved its delay time by 12 seconds on the year before.

1 – Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport recorded delays of 23 minutes and 18 seconds, an improvement of over three minutes and 36 seconds.

At the other end of the table…

Belfast City airport recorded the best punctuality in the UK for the second year in a row.

Its typical delay per flight was less than 12 minutes.

The average delay for flights from major UK airports was 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024, down from 20 minutes and 42 seconds in 2023.

“Aviation continues to recover from the pandemic, and operates in an extremely busy, global environment with resilience challenges,” said a spokesperson for trade body AirportsUK.

“It is therefore positive that the data shows delays continue to come down as everyone in aviation works together to provide the best possible service to passengers.”