A report from Construction News said that Unite the Union has stated the government should “immediately develop clear targets on UK steel usage on publicly funded construction projects. In the case of HS2, UK producers should have a paramount place in producing steel for the project.”

Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said using more UK steel on the £98bn high speed rail network was “economic common sense”.

Back in December 2021 transport minister Andrew Stephenson said there were no formal targets outlining HS2’s use of UK-sourced steel.

The minister said HS2 Ltd was working with the UK steel industry to ensure it remains “engaged, informed and prepared to seize the contract opportunities that will be generated by the construction of HS2.”

Unite national officer for steel Harish Patel said the lack of targets would leave the steel industry “alarmed and fearful”, saying: “Steel is a key foundation industry, and it is absolutely essential that it receives practical support from the government. That should start with ensuring that government-funded projects always purchase UK steel whenever possible.”

As a leading UK fabricator and assembler of steel products, Structural Fabrications Ltd is poised and ready to engage in works on UK rail infrastructure projects.

Suj Kang, Managing Director of Structural Fabrications Ltd, said: “HS2 presents a huge opportunity for the UK steel industry, and we believe that domestic steel fabricators are ideally placed to compete for contracts and indeed present a reliable and more sustainable solution for projects opposed to overseas suppliers. We should invest in UK fabrication suppliers, and what better way then using British fabrications companies for a British project that will define the British railways for a generation. This will allow companies to invest into the business and apprenticeships and ensure the future in steel is not lost forever.

“Structural Fabrications Ltd can call on its Derby-based headquarters and 3 fabrication workshops to provide high-quality specialist fabrication and steelwork products for the rail industry. We boast an impressive track record of working with a range of Tier one contractors in the rail industry as well as infrastructure managers including Network Rail and ScotRail.”