Britain will offer grants to help its two largest steelmakers replace dirty blast furnaces with less carbon-intensive technology, media reported.
The BBC reported that grants worth £600 million ($744m) will "likely" be unveiled this week for Chinese-owned British Steel and Indian-owned Tata Steel UK, to help slash damaging emissions, cut fuel bills and protect thousands of jobs.
The announcement will depend on when the firms accept the offers, The Guardian newspaper noted.
British Steel and Tata Steel operate Britain's four remaining steel blast furnaces.
However, London reportedly wants the pair to switch to electric arc furnaces, which the BBC reports could recycle the scrap steel Britain produces and be powered by electricity from renewable sources.
A government spokesman declined to comment on the reports but stressed it was committed to helping the industry.
"The government recognises the vital role that steel plays within the UK economy, supporting local jobs and economic growth," said a spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
It remained "committed to securing a sustainable and competitive future for the UK steel sector".
Business Secretary Grant Shapps "considers the success of the steel sector a priority and continues to work closely with industry to achieve this", the spokesperson noted.
Sky News had reported Friday that the government was mulling a £300-million rescue plan for British Steel.
The package would reportedly hinge on its Chinese owner, giant Jingye Group, investing at least £1 billion and vowing to protect jobs.
The broadcaster cited Treasury documents which warned that British Steel's collapse could cost the taxpayer up to £1bn.
Meanwhile, Tata Steel had threatened last July to shut its Port Talbot plant in Wales unless it receives British government aid to help decarbonise production.
Port Talbot - Britain's largest steelmaking site - employs around half Tata's UK workforce of 8,000.
British Steel meanwhile has about 4,000 staff.
(AFP)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.