PA Boris Johnson hit out at the Government's inability to deal with steel crisis

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The Mayor of London has hit out at ministers’ inability to act in order to save around 15,000 jobs in the UK steel industry. It follows the shock decision by India-based Tata Steel to sell off all their UK assets, including the giant Port Talbot plant. Mr Johnson said Britain has “simply lost; abandoned; surrendered” and “supinely given up” any powers to deal with the impending disaster due to “our membership of the EU”.

The senior Tory, who has taken a leading role in the fight for Britain to leave the EU at this summer’s in/our referendum, highlighted how the UK is unable to impose its own tariffs in order to stop British plants being harmed by Chinese dumping of cheap steel on international markets. The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP also claimed Britain faces huge obstacles in cutting energy costs for struggling manufacturers due to strict EU laws on state aid. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson claimed as an EU member state Britain must not only accept having the majority of its laws decided by Brussels but “must also accept a fatal loss of flexibility, an inability to take decisions that might be in our national interest – and an inability even to make good our own mistakes”. Mr Johnson blamed ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband for a series of “highly damaging” climate change policies from his time as energy secretary that have hiked energy costs for UK steel plants. But the Mayor of London said David Cameron’s Government faced the “objections of Brussels” every time it tried to undo Mr Miliband’s “folly”.

Even when we want to change tack on tariffs, we can’t – because we have given up control. Boris Johnson

Mr Johnson also noted how the Government’s “story seems to have changed” over steel tariffs, as Business Secretary Sajid Javid comes under pressure over his handling of the crisis. Last week, it was claimed Britain had acted as a ringleader within the EU to prevent the imposition of tariffs on cheap Chinese steel as the Government seeks to win favour with Beijing. Mr Javid, who was forced to rush home from his heavily-criticised trip to Australia as the crisis unfolded, has since said the claims “couldn't be further from the truth”. But Mr Johnson wrote: “Since the Port Talbot crisis blew up, the story seems to have changed. “We are now told that the UK does indeed favour anti-dumping measures, though not of the kind that the EU Commission has been proposing. “The result? Probably nothing. Nothing will happen in the near future, if ever, because there is no agreement round the table in Brussels. “Even when we want to change tack on tariffs, we can’t – because we have given up control.”

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