A British Steel worker has hit out at plans for Scunthorpe's blast furnaces to be closed, as thousands of jobs are now at risk of being cut.
The two blast furnaces run by the company in the northern town could be replaced with a single electric arc furnace, sparking backlash from Britsh Steel workers.
Unite union have launched a campaign to protect the thousands of potential job losses, with signs brandished with the slogan "Steel Not For Sale".
Hundreds of estate agent style boards as well as banners have been erected in front gardens and public spaces across Scunthorpe.
A British Steel worker hit out at the planned closures in Scunthorpe
GB News
Unite state that the campaign shows the "strength" of the town’s opposition to the plan, put forward by British Steel and the government.
General Secretary Sharon Graham said of the campaign: "Unite has secured a commitment from Labour that it will invest £3 billion in UK steel.
"The current government must act in the national interest and provide similar guarantees to save jobs and maintain capacity at Scunthorpe to allow for the industry’s future growth.
"Steel demand is growing and the UK is ideally placed to be a global leader in green steel if the right decisions are made, as Unite has clearly shown. The fight for the future of UK steel is now. Unite will be relentless in its campaigning until the right choices are made."
Following the announcement of job losses and the closure of Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted the UK is "committed" to British steelmaking.
The two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe could be replaced with a single electric arc furnace
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Sunak told broadcasters: "I know first of all that it will be a worrying time for everyone affected, and because it’s a commercially sensitive matter, and people appreciate there’s a limit to what I can say.
"But what I can tell you is we are absolutely committed to steelmaking in the UK and that’s why the Government provided half a billion pounds to support Tata."
GB News presenter and MP for Somerset Jacob Rees-Mogg visited Scunthorpe, to speak to locals about the threat of job losses at British Steel.
An employee of British Steel told Jacob it is "important" that steelworks continue to remain in Scunthorpe.
She stated: "To be honest, what I feel today, a lot of it closing, it's going to destroy Scunthorpe. It's not going to be good. There's going to be a lot of jobs going as well."
A Scunthorpe local told GB News that the town 'relies' on steelworks
GB News
Speaking to GB News, fellow Scunthorpe residents were in agreement with the British Steel worker and shared their support for those affected.
One man told Jacob: "I lived near Consett Iron and Steel Company in the Northeast for a while, and I saw what happened there.
"And when the steelworks there shut down, it took them a lot of years to get back on their feet. I mean, it's a different place now and this will suffer the same fate, I'm afraid."
Another local said the "heart of the town relies on steelworks" remaining in Scunthorpe.
