by Luke James
and Peter Lazenby

SAJID JAVID was branded “incompetent” by Commons Speaker John Bercow yesterday for sitting on his hands while Britain’s steel industry dies.

The collapse claimed another 1,200 jobs as Tata Steel delivered devastating redundancy news to workers at plants in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire.

It came just a day after steel giant Caparo fell into administration, putting 1,700 jobs at risk, and days after Teesside’s Redcar plant closed at the cost of 2,200 jobs.

But Tory Business Secretary Mr Javid apparently did not believe the latest blow warranted a ministerial statement in the Commons.

He was only forced to address MPs about the crisis by Labour, who tabled an urgent question.

After Mr Javid’s longwinded attempt to expunge himself of all responsibility overran, the Speaker said it was “blindingly obvious” he should have made a statement.

And he told the Tory: “It is I’m afraid discourteous and incompetent and it must not happen again.”

Mr Javid cynically told steelworkers: “We will not abandon you now in your greatest time of need,” moments before declaring: “There are limits to what the government can do.”

He claimed the EU ban on state aid left the government helpless but that it was offering support worth £80 million to sacked steelworkers.

Labour MPs revealed support was actually only £50m and that the government has still not prioritised its request for state aid with the European Commission.

“Spinning doesn’t help the workers one little bit,” stormed shadow business minister Kevin Brennan.

He worked at Llanwern steelworks, where 250 redundancies were made in August, for six months before going to university. His father had worked there for two decades.

Mr Brennan said: “Some of us on this side understand the very real problems facing the steel industry. We know about the heat of the steel plant, the whiff of the coke ovens — and we understand all too well that the industry is facing huge challenges.”

Contrasting that to the Tories’ approach, he said ministers seem “content to allow Britain’s entire steelmaking capacity to disappear in the face of blatant Chinese dumping.”

Outside Parliament, workers were up in arms about the latest blow to the steel industry.

Ross Clark, steel union Community’s convener at the Tata plant in Motherwell, said: “Everybody’s devastated and worried by today’s news.

“We’ve faced a lot of challenges in this business and we’ve overcome them but now our future is uncertain. We welcome the fact the Scottish government is going to set up a task force and Community will play a full role in that.

“It needs to come up with real, practical solutions that protect the workforce, the skills and the assets until we can find an alternative and sustainable future.”

But Unite Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said the news “effectively brings an end to a proud tradition of steelmaking in Scotland.”

In South Yorkshire, once a steel-producing powerhouse, workers outside the industry were aware of the disastrous knock-on effect of the slump.

Public-sector union Unison Doncaster branch secretary Jim Board said: “The government’s free-market industrial policy and talk of a northern powerhouse lies in tatters.

“The governments of France and Italy have intervened directly to protect steelmaking and manufacturing industry, but in Britain we are told there are no ‘magic bullets.’

“We believe that the renationalisation of steelmaking in the UK to defend manufacturing industry must now be a priority before it is too late.”

Ministers respond to the steel crisis

July 16 - Tata Steel announces 720 job losses in Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Wednesbury. No action from government.

Aug 25 - Tata announces 250 redundancies in strip steel at Llanwern. No action from government.

Sept 18 SSI announce 2,200 jobs at Redcar under threat. No action from government.

Oct 19 Steel firm Caparo in administration. No action from government.

Oct 20 Tata announce 1,200 jobs to go in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire. No action from government.