President Donald Trump’s tariffs are being blamed for British Steel’s decision to close its two blast furnaces, potentially making the United Kingdom the first G7 nation to no longer produce its own steel.
The closure of these blast furnaces, located in England, is a result of the plans announced by British Steel, which is under the ownership of Jingye, a Chinese steel group. This move puts approximately 2,700 jobs at risk and marks the end of 150 years of steel production in the United Kingdom, following Jingye’s acquisition of British Steel in 2020.
Jingye said the “imposition of tariffs” had made the blast furnaces and steel-making operations “no longer financially sustainable”.
President Donald Trump speaks to an audience. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)
“With the impending closure of our blast furnaces, the United Kingdom is facing the possibility of losing its domestic primary steelmaking capacity, a scenario that could make us the sole G7 country without this crucial capability, posing a serious threat to our national security,” expressed a spokesperson.
Trump has fought to keep U.S. Steel in American hands. Nippon Steel, a Japanese company, said it was willing to increase investment in U.S. Steel facilities to $7 billion as it tries to convince Trump thah the Pittsburgh steelmaker would be in good hands with foreign ownership.
“We are also going to keep U.S. Steel right here in America,” Trump said during a September 2024 campaign rally.
Trump first opposed the deal in February 2024, but said earlier this year that Nippon would negotiate an investment in U.S. Steel, rather than a purchase, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
