Stone champions British steel and its importance for the future of Caithness
With government moves to save British steel production, Far north MP Jamie Stone highlighted its importance for the future of Caithness after a House of Commons debate.
Parliament was recalled to debate emergency legislation to prevent the closure of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, and begin discussions about the prospect of nationalising it. This came after the plant’s Chinese owners Jingyae, announced their intention to close the Scunthorpe blast furnaces, claiming that they were not financially sustainable.
Mr Stone, MP for Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross, was present at the debate to demonstrate solidarity with the steel industry, with it being essential to development projects in the far north, particularly in the nuclear industry and at the port of Cromarty Firth.
Commenting, Mr Stone said: "Ahead of the debate in the House of Commons on Saturday, the Nuclear Industry Association spoke to me about how the security of the supply of top-quality British steel was crucially important to the nuclear industry. Not only with decommissioning Dounreay, but more than that, the future of the nuclear industry itself.
"Based at Dounreay, we have specialised skills associated with the nuclear industry and a local population in Caithness that is strongly supportive of that. Many of us hope to see a next-generation reactor sited at Dounreay, and by definition, any such new reactor, indeed all the small modular reactors that will be built across the UK, will rely on the supply of top-quality British steel."
The emergency legislation to save the Scunthorpe steel plant was passed through Parliament, with all readings of the bill completing on the day.
Mr Stone added: “I thought it was desperately important that the Highlands were represented in this debate. As a young person looking to start a family in the Highlands, I sought work in the yards of Nigg and Kishorn – these industries would not have existed without the steel industry.
“I am constantly talking about the importance of industry for creating local opportunities for people in more remote areas. The steel industry offers exactly that – jobs that are skilled, well-paid, and future-proofed.
“Across the UK, steel supports tens of thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly. In the far north, while we may not have steel mills on our doorstep, we benefit enormously from the industry’s output.
“From the turbines being built in the port of Cromarty Firth to the infrastructure needed to support budding nuclear energy innovation like small modular reactors, steel is at the heart of it all.
“For the Highlands, and indeed for Scotland as a whole, the steel industry represents opportunity: for jobs, for sustainability, and for building a better future.
“The Government must do everything in its power to prevent its collapse.”