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The Tories have betrayed British ­workers by sourcing 65% of the steel for eight new Navy ships from Sweden.

British steel could have been used in the Royal Navy’s eight new Type 26 frigates if UK plants had been properly briefed, union bosses insist.

But up to two thirds of the metal for the £8billion order – the biggest Royal Navy deal after the latest Trident nuclear subs – will be bought from Sweden.

The fresh blow for the UK’s battered steel sector was quietly revealed in a series of written Commons answers, by Defence Minister Harriet Baldwin.

She said: “Around 4,000 tonnes of steel will be required to build each Type 26 Frigate. Steel will be sourced principally from the UK and Sweden.”

But in a second answer, she admitted: “We expect around 35% of steel for each ship will be sourced from UK suppliers in Scotland and Scunthorpe; approximately 1,400 tonnes per ship.

“For some grades of plate steel needed for the Type 26 Frigates the combination of thickness, size and flatness specifications means that the steel cannot be sourced in its entirety in the UK.”

(Image: PA)

But community steelworkers’ union boss Roy Rickhuss said: “British steel is some of the best in the world, and our Government should be using this project to help British steelworkers.

“It’s not good enough for the Government to say we can’t make the right sort of steel. If we had a proper industrial strategy our steelworks would be equipped to meet the challenges.

“Steelworkers have made big sacrifices over the past few years; it’s now time for the Government to bring forward a strategy for steel that supports our industry and our steel communities.”

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who uncovered the Government’s latest shame, with parliamentary questions, said: “Last year, the Government talked a lot about helping Port Talbot in South Wales.

“To great fanfare it announced UK steel would be used on big projects. This has been shown not to be true. It is the latest betrayal of workers, families and communities.”

(Image: PA)

The Ministry of Defence tried to shift blame on shipbuilder BAE Systems for the fiasco over the £8billion Type 26 programme.

But BAE said: “Following an open competitive bid process, Yorkshire-based Dent Steel UK has been selected to source steel for the first three ships. Approximately 50% of the value of steel will be British, equating to around 35% of the overall weight.”

The Mirror – which has campaigned to Save Our Steel after devastating job losses in Redcar, North Yorks, as well as Wales – has revealed how British steel has been snubbed for a series of new Navy ships.

The MoD admitted last year how 4,000 tonnes of steel for Royal Feet Auxiliary tankers was coming from South Korea.

And of the 82,000 tonnes of steel bought for the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, 4,500 came from Turkey and 500 from Spain.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon faced embarrassment last year when he ceremonially cut the first steel for the new fleet of Dreadnought Trident nuclear-armed submarines.

We revealed it was from France and French metal will be used in hulls.