What is Reform UK's proposed 'alternative steel strategy' and what key policy changes does it call for?

Reform UK's proposed 'alternative steel strategy'—still unwritten but commissioned from steel industry bosses—calls for scrapping net zero policies, providing targeted public support, and using public procurement or trade policy to prevent British steel from being undercut. According to deputy leader Richard Tice, the strategy aims to ensure the UK retains virgin steel-making capacity and directly criticizes Labour’s approach as applying 'sticking plasters on a broken industrial strategy', blaming green policies for increasing costs for steel firms.

Why is Reform UK targeting the steel industry now, and where are its key electoral efforts focused?

Reform UK is targeting the steel industry ahead of the 7 May local elections to capitalize on anger over high business energy bills—exacerbated by the Iran war—and decades of manufacturing job losses in former Labour heartlands. Its efforts are particularly focused on Wales, where it is polling nearly level with Plaid Cymru for the largest party in the Senedd, and where Welsh leader Dan Thomas is set to visit Tata Steel’s Port Talbot site—mirroring Nigel Farage’s prior visit and rhetoric about reindustrialisation, though Farage has since distanced himself from reinstating blast furnaces due to cost concerns.

Reform UK Asks Steel Bosses to Draft 'Alternative Strategy' for Industry

Apr 24, 2026

Reform UK commissioned steel bosses to draft an alternative strategy challenging government plans, aiming to retain domestic capacity by ending net zero policies and addressing high energy costs ahead of May local elections.

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Reform UK Asks Steel Bosses to Draft 'Alternative Strategy' for Industry

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