Last month the government gave British Steel a £100 million loan to cover its EU carbon bill and it is now considering giving a further £75 million. If British Steel collapses it would be tragic for Scunthorpe and the thousands of families that are dependent on the plant, but that’s no reason to throw taxpayer cash into the furnace. There is nothing morally righteous about taxpayer bailouts for dirty, dying industry.

For too long we have lied to the youth of Scunthorpe. They have been taught that the only option is an old industry and their time has been wasted building the wrong skills. We should use the £43,000 per employee — the combined bailout cost — to fund transition, relocation and retraining for better