As I’m sure many of you will know, Tata Steel have recently announced plans to modernise their production processes by decarbonising their factories, which is not without its challenges, particularly around production at Port Talbot. However, I understand that, following the completion of the electric arc furnace there, the UK will become less dependent on imported materials. Currently, all of the materials used to produce steel in Port Talbot, such as iron ore and coke, are imported from abroad. However, the UK has a reliable and plentiful supply of scrap steel, which can be used to create new steel products using electric blast furnaces. Therefore, following the construction of the electric blast furnace, the UK steel sector will not only reduce its carbon footprint, but also gain greater resilience to supply chain risks. Equally, the change will not adversely impact our national security. Military-grade steel can be produced using an electric blast furnace, and Ministers will continue to work closely with suppliers to ensure that the UK can procure the steel required for the UK’s national security and defence programmes. However, I would like to again express my real sympathies for Tata Steel employees during this undoubtedly difficult period. I recognise that their recent national announcement has caused significant uncertainty, not just for the company’s workforce, but for their families, including here in Corby, and for the people of Port Talbot in particular. Yet, without the modernisation of the Port Talbot site, the wholesale future of the plant could have been uncertain. Closing the Port Talbot plant would not only cause immeasurable damage to the town there, but also pose a significant risk to the 8,000 jobs Tata Steel provides across the UK, including in Corby, and the 12,500 jobs in the wider steel supply chain. It is against that backdrop that it was good to be back at Tata Steel’s site in Corby on Friday to catch up with the team to hear about how things are going locally, given that the site is seeing vast investment into it, which is helping to ensure its long-term future on a more sustainable, resilient footing, which is crucial for jobs and our local economy. I have been a strong supporter of the investment plan, given its intent to secure the long-term future of the site, and which has been being developed for some time, and it was encouraging to see for myself the ongoing construction work taking place on site to deliver the machinery investment, which will be crucial to maintaining production in Corby, with a view to growing the order book and securing new business. I also underlined that I would do anything I can to help and support anybody affected locally by the national jobs announcement, which affects a small number of jobs at the Corby site, and stand ready to do so. Steel manufacturing goes right to the heart of our town - and I will always do everything I can to help guarantee and secure its future, as I always have.