Connect with us

Published

on

More than 2,800 jobs are to be axed at the country’s biggest steelworks, it has been confirmed.

Of the losses 2,500 will be in the next 18 months, said Indian conglomerate Tata said. A further 300 jobs are to go in three years.

Statutory consultation on the cuts will begin, Tata added, but also did not specify when.

Voluntary redundancies will be sought and more than £130m will be committed to a support package for affected employees.

It comes as Tata Steel announced it was to press ahead with plans to close blast furnaces at the Port Talbot plant in South Wales.

The first blast furnace will closing around mid-2024 and the remaining heavy end assets will wind down during the second half of the year, Tata announced on Friday.

The steel giant in September confirmed details reported by Sky News that it had secured £500m of taxpayer cash to support the site’s transition to cheaper, greener steel production to cut emissions and stem financial losses.

Job cuts had been expected as part of the deal though 5,000 UK staff are due to remain within the wider UK operations following the agreement with the government.

The redundancies, to be completed by March next year, will see three-quarters of the 4,000 staff on site put out of work.

The Port Talbot workforce currently accounts for 12% of the coastal town’s entire population and many had expressed concerns for their families’ futures when it emerged that big job losses were expected.

Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon, home of the Port Talbot plant, told Sky News: “Steel is the beating heart of manufacturing and of our entire infrastructure and, of course, of our national security.

“Do we really want to be a country, given the dangerous and turbulent world in which we live, that isn’t able to produce its own steel?

“We are very proud of what the Port Talbot steelworks means for Wales and for the entire United Kingdom and we feel passionately here.

“There isn’t a single household in my Aberavon constituency that isn’t connected to the steelworks in some way, and the impact would be utterly devastating.”

Unions met the company on Thursday after presenting alternative proposals aimed at saving jobs but sources said Tata rejected them.

The India-based company will replace the two blast furnaces at the plant with electric arc furnaces under the plan to reduce emissions and costs.

Read more:
The UK needs an industrial strategy – not just piecemeal funding
Steel rescue package could be ‘missed opportunity’

Unions are expected to consult their members on how to respond to the job losses, with industrial action possible.

The viability of domestic steel production has been hampered over many years by high UK energy prices, which have damaged competitiveness.

As a result, the GMB union has claimed up to 2,000 jobs at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant are also under imminent threat.

The Chinese-owned company cut 7% of its workforce in February.

That was despite continuing government talks with Jingye Group about potential taxpayer aid at the time.

Continue Reading

UK

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns after report into sexual abuse of children

Published

on

By

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns after report into sexual abuse of children

The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned after a report found the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister.

The independent Makin review into John Smyth QC’s abuse of children and young men was published last week.

Across five decades in three different countries and involving as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa, John Smyth QC is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

The report concluded he might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported it to police a decade ago.

In a resignation letter Justin Welby said: “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuse of John Smyth.

“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.

“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024.

“The last few days have renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.

“In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.”

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and so was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review said.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

UK

BBC confirms Gary Lineker will step down as Match Of The Day presenter

Published

on

By

BBC confirms Gary Lineker will step down as Match Of The Day presenter

Gary Lineker will step down as host of Match Of The Day at the end of the season, the BBC has confirmed.

The 63-year-old will continue to host coverage of the FA Cup in 2025/26 and the World Cup in 2026, the broadcaster announced.

Lineker will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast while his The Rest Is Football podcast, which features BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will now be hosted on BBC Sounds.

The former England footballer said: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”

Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, said: “Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.

“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week.

“He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”

Analysis: Will the next generation know him only as a podcasting mogul?

FILE - TV soccer pundits and former soccer players Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, from left, watch the FA Cup sixth round soccer match between Newcastle United and Manchester City at St. James' Park in Newcastle, England, Sunday, June 28, 2020. (Shaun Botterill/Pool via AP, File)
Image:
Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and Lineker, who present the podcast The Rest Is Football. Pic: AP


Lineker has hosted the Premier League highlights show since 1999, after his predecessor Des Lynam moved to ITV.

He is the co-founder of Goalhanger Podcasts, which produces popular shows such as The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Entertainment, as well as his own football podcast.

The company, founded in 2014, claims to be the UK’s largest independent podcast firm and said in September its podcasts had been downloaded more than 380 million times so far this year.

Read more from Sky News:
Russian hypersonic missile warship conducts drills in English Channel
Trump set to appoint ‘hawkish’ secretary of state – reports
‘Game-changer’ stop-smoking pill to be offered on NHS

Lineker has been the BBC’s highest-paid star in recent years for his work on shows including Match Of The Day and Sports Personality Of The Year, as well as coverage of major tournaments including World Cups and European Championships.

He received about £1.35m during the 2023-24 financial year, according to the BBC’s most recent figures.

It is unclear who will take over from Lineker on Match Of The Day.

Former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Jermaine Jenas had at one point been considered to be his natural successor but he was sacked from the BBC in August over claims of inappropriate behaviour.

Lineker enjoyed a successful career as a striker, winning 80 caps for England, before moving into broadcasting.

Continue Reading

UK

Queen to return to public duties after chest infection – but will miss film premiere

Published

on

By

Queen to return to public duties after chest infection - but will miss film premiere

The Queen will return to public duties today after her chest infection but will miss the Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday to aid her recovery, a royal source has said.

The 77-year-old was forced to withdraw from her duties last week and missed the weekend’s Remembrance Day commemoration events.

Queen Camilla will attend a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House on Tuesday, but will meet guests for a shorter period than planned.

She will also still attend a Palace reception with the King on Wednesday to celebrate the TV and film industry, but she is not expected to be present for the entirety of the engagement.

The changes to her diary are understood to have been made to protect and prioritise her continued recovery, with royal doctors keen to prevent any setback from a seasonal illness.

Read more from Sky News:
Russian hypersonic missile warship conducts drills in English Channel
Trump set to appoint ‘hawkish’ secretary of state – reports
‘Game-changer’ stop-smoking pill to be offered on NHS

Pic: PA
Image:
William and Kate at a Remembrance event. Pic: PA

It comes after Prince William said 2024 has been “brutal” and “probably the hardest year in my life”, due to his wife and father’s cancer diagnoses.

Speaking on a tour of Cape Town this week, he said: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful.

“It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”

Discussing how his relatives have coped with their health struggles, he added: “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done.

“But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”

Continue Reading

Trending