EU Parliament fail to show urgency in steel crisis

Bill Etheridge was furious as the chance to debate the crisis in the steel industry was missed in Brussels today.

Prior to a plenary session this afternoon, agreement had been reached across some of the major groups in the Parliament that there was a need to discuss whether measures could be taken to protect the steel industry throughout Europe from the effects of cheap Chinese steel dumping.

The EFDD, including UKIP, wanted to discuss it but the parliament chose to stall and delay for several weeks.

Mr Etheridge, who himself spent twenty years in the steel industry, said “The crisis is now, not in the future.

“Steel workers throughout Europe are losing their jobs in their thousands. Hundreds of thousands are threatened across Europe.

“Action needs to be taken now to protect our jobs before the whole industry collapses. Already we are seeing credit insurers pulling out of the steel industry.

“If the line of credit disappears we have a disaster on our hands. The UK government should act unilaterally. This is an industry of strategic importance and essential for the UK economy.

“We cannot let the indifference and sloth of the Liberals cost any more jobs in this country.”