Recommendations

The UK Government should use the contribution our steel industry makes to national security to mandate or incentivise the use of UK-made steel, where possible, for projects of energy, defence, and related infrastructure via domestic content stipulations in contracts where public funding or subsidy is involved utilising World Trade Organisation (WTO) opt-outs.

In future auctions, the Government should evaluate the bidders’ contributions to sustainability, resilience, and local content, with these criteria applying to at least 30% of the volume auctioned annually, as the EU is currently implementing without challenge in its Net Zero Industry Act.

These should be required to adhere fully to the Procurement Policy Note for Steel5 and, given their criticality for our economy, be subject to local content requirements of not below 30%.

The existing PPN should be strengthened to require developers and public bodies to justify why they did not use UK-made steel, if it was available, and require a mandatory consultation of the forthcoming UK Steel Digital Catalogue.

A public-private partnership should drive investment into steel supply chains, which will attract inward investment, create jobs, drive economic growth, and ensure the UK develops resilient supply chains in the face of uncertain geopolitics.