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MPs are set to vote on whether to grant the Government control of British Steel.
Both the Commons and the Lords broke from Easter recess for a highly unusual Saturday sitting to debate a Bill.
The emergency legislation is aimed at blocking the company’s Chinese owners, Jingye, from closing blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant.
The plans would see taxpayer money used to provide materials to the steelworks and open the door to a transfer of ownership.
Sir Keir Starmer warned the future of the firm “hangs in the balance”.
Ministers hope to secure a private partner to open up co-investment options for a transition.
But urgent temporary action was seen as necessary to keep the plant running until longer-term plans are agreed.
The Commons sitting started at 11am and the House of Lords from midday in the first parliamentary recall on a Saturday since 1982, when MPs returned after the start of the Falklands War.
Other significant recalls during recent years included a midweek sitting during the summer recess in August 2021 to debate the evacuation from Afghanistan.
In a letter to MPs, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he was satisfied the “public interest” requires the recall to debate the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill.
Jingye, which bought British Steel in 2020, has said it invested more than £1.2billion to maintain operations amid ongoing production instability and “significant” financial losses of around £700,000 a day.
The Government says the new law would allow it to order raw materials for Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces amid fears supplies are on the brink of running out.
Ministers would be able to direct the company’s board and workforce, and ensure anyone at the plant “who takes steps to keep it running, against the orders of the Chinese ownership” can be reinstated if they are sacked.
The proposals to close Scunthorpe’s furnaces had sparked fears of job losses at the plant, which employs thousands of people.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Jingye had confirmed the plans despite months of talks and a £500million co-investment offer from Government.
He said this left ministers “no choice” but to act to spare job losses and save the plant.
Unions welcomed the move but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Labour of having “bungled the negotiations” and said “their incompetence has led to a last-minute recall of Parliament.”
Liberal Democrat Sir Ed Davey called the debate an opportunity to advance “a serious plan for the sustainable future of domestic steel production”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reiterated his backing for nationalisation.
Recalling Parliament shows how serious steel crisis is
By JACK ELSOM, Chief Political Correspondent
EVERY time a minor emergency emerges during MPs’ holidays, the usual suspects are quick to demand Parliament is recalled.
That their siren calls are almost always ignored speaks to just how serious a crisis must be to warrant such action.
Tomorrow will be one of those occasions: a recall that is so rare it has only happened 34 times since the Second World War.
While Parliament is the lifeblood of our democracy, the truth is that most action in a crisis can be taken without the need to involve MPs.
Sir Keir Starmer, his ministers and his officials wield enough executive power to handle events without needing a Commons sign-off.
But there are times when MPs are needed to ram through urgent laws, such as will happen tomorrow when the government seeks control of steelmaking in Britain.
Other times are of such national or international significance that anything less than a recall would not suffice.
The Taliban’s capture of the Afghan government in 2021 was such a time, giving MPs a chance to make their points despite playing no actual role in the response.
Tomorrow’s recall will mean MPs returning from their constituencies all across the land.
For any who have already escaped the country for some Easter sun, a long trip back awaits…
