British steel production plunged by a fifth over the past decade according to one measure used by Brussels, figures uncovered by Labour showed tonight.
The party blamed “a decade of Conservative indifference” as it cited figures revealing a 21.5% drop since 2010.
Data from the EU's statistics agency, Eurostat, showed that, using 2015 as a base year, the UK went from 104.6% in 2010 to 83.1% in 2019 on the EU index of industrial production measure for “steel and basic metal”.
Separate figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found the UK's steelmaking capacity dropped by a third over the decade.
The “maximum theoretical equipment capacity” – the amount UK plants can manufacture – fell from 18.7million tonnes in 2010 to just 12.1m tonnes by 2019.
Labour seized on the figures, which come amid mounting fears for the future of Liberty Steel.
Shadow Business Minister Lucy Powell said: “It’s absolutely crucial we protect our country’s steel industry, which provides highly-skilled jobs across the country and equips us to build critical infrastructure like railways, hospitals and schools.
“But a decade of Conservative indifference has seen steelmaking production plummet in a huge hit to our economy, risking jobs and livelihoods, whilst other countries across Europe have backed their steel industries to grow.
“Labour would stand up for our steelmakers with a proper industrial strategy, supporting the industry to decarbonise, and putting in place stronger targets to buy British steel.”
A Government spokeswoman said: “Suggestions that we have failed to back the UK steel industry are nonsense.
"We have provided extensive support in recent years, including over £500million to help with the costs of energy and to protect jobs.
“We are also providing significant funding to help the industry become greener, launched a review into our public procurement rules now we’ve left the EU, and last month established a new Steel Procurement Taskforce to address the challenges the sector faces in competing for and securing major public contracts.”
