The business secretary refused to confirm whether the government can obtain sufficient raw material supplies to keep the British Steel stove, after taking control of the Chinese factory.
Emergency legislation was precipitated by parliament on Saturday to prevent owners from closing their two stoves in Scanthorpe.
When asked if he could guarantee that the ovens would remain open, Jonathan Reynolds said that he would not comment “the commercial aspect of the supply”, but the takeover has given an “opportunity” to obtain the necessary coal.
Previously, the government said that Jingye had sold raw materials before the officials took control of the factory.
Questioned several times by Laura Kuensberg to find out if he were sure that he would be able to obtain the supply of coal before current stocks exhausted, Reynolds insisted that “I will not enter this” but the takeover “was essential to maintain steel production in the United Kingdom”.
Speaking on the program, Reynolds said that the situation remained “difficult and difficult”.
But the emergency legislation on Saturday “allows” the government to operate the high stoves, he said. Once a high stove is turned off, it becomes incredibly difficult to restart.
“If we had not acted, the high stoves had disappeared and production in primary steel in the United Kingdom would have disappeared,” he said.
“If we had not acted, you would wonder how we support the thousands that lost their jobs.”
The conservatives criticized the government for not intervening earlier to save the factory and protect jobs.
Addressing the BBC, Tory Shadow’s business secretary Andrew Griffith argued that the government should fully nationalize British steel to avoid any doubt about the future of the company.
The company has already been “nationalized” in “substance” by emergency powers, he argued.
