David Cameron has been accused of failing the British steel industry after the government confirmed it was blocking proposals from other EU members to tackle dumping of cheap product by China.
Sajid Javid, the business secretary, said it would not be right for the EU to scrap regulations known as the “lesser duty rule”, which some countries want to end in order to allow higher tariffs on Chinese steel.
The decision to block the proposals drew fierce criticism from Labour and the remnants of the UK’s steel industry, which has shed 5,000 jobs since last summer.
But Javid said getting rid of the rule would lead to higher prices for UK consumers of steel, as the current arrangements balance the interests of producers and buyers of a product.
“I think when we look at this, a responsible government would look at the impact overall to British industry and British jobs. If duties are applied that are disproportionate, it would have an impact, in Britain and elsewhere, on the consumers of steel as well,” he said.
“There are many British companies ... that would tell you if duties got out of control ... then it would cost them jobs and growth and it would certainly cut their exports.”
The Guardian