London says it acted to prevent the plant’s Chinese owners from closing the plant, threatening jobs and national security.

The UK government has taken control of British Steel's plant in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, after it was put at risk of imminent closure. MPs were called back to Parliament on Saturday from their Easter break to pass an emergency law that handed control of the Chinese-owned site to the government, in order to keep its two blast furnaces operating.

The UK government said it was taking control of Chinese-owned British Steel on Saturday after rushing an emergency law through parliament to avert the shutdown of the country's last factory