William and Kate raise UK steel crisis with Indian PM

Prince William has raised the issue of the UK steel crisis with India's prime minister Narendra Modi.

He took the opportunity to discuss the plight of UK steel workers a day after Indian company Tata Steel formally put its UK plants up for sale.

Video report by ITV News' correspondent Geraint Vincent

The Duke used an informal lunch in Delhi to bring up the issue.

Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle has criticised the previous Conservative-led coalition government for scrapping Labour's defence industrial strategy.

She said the strategy had made British jobs and industries the first priority in MoD contracts.

She told MPs: "We now have the deeply regrettable situation of an aircraft carrier, British surface ships and armoured vehicles all being manufactured in the UK with mainly imported steel, when, with more planning, our domestic industry could have supplied these needs."

Sajid Javid has hinted to MPs more UK-made steel may be included in defence projects.

The business secretary said the defence procurement minister may make an announcement "in the coming days" on MoD acquisition of British steel.

He added potential Government "co-investment" with a commercial buyer in Tata Steel's largest plant in Port Talbot could involve taking on some of the business's debts.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said he was fighting for British steelworkers "every hour of the day".

Speaking on Tuesday in the House of Commons, Javid said: "Investors everywhere know British steel is the best in the world.

"They know that British steel workers are the hardest working in the world and they know that the British Government stands with the the steel industry, and we will do whatever we can to support it to become more competitive.

"The challenges we face are great, the crisis the steel industry faces is global, but I am fighting for Britain's steel workers every hour of the day.

"I was fighting for them long before this crisis hit the headlines, and I will go on fighting as long as it takes because British steel workers are the best in the world, and they deserve no less".

Business Secretary Sajid Javid described the global steel crisis as a "human tragedy", saying the Government was "deeply concerned" with the UK situation.

But speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Javid said that the Government had left "no stone unturned" in its attempts to sell British steel.

He added that the Conservatives were taking "real action" to support the UK industry.

Steelmakers have been paid £76 million already to compensate for energy bills, a figure expected to rise to £100 million by the end of 2016.

Meanwhile, energy intensive industries will be exempted from future renewable policy costs, saving the steel industry over £400 million, Javid said.

He added that the Government's willingness to "co-invest" in Tata Steel with a commercial partner was evidence of its commitment to save the industry.

The Conservatives have been accused of "indifference and incompetence" in dealing with the UK steel crisis.

Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said on Tuesday the situation facing the UK steel industry "cannot be categorised as anything but an emergency".

Her comments came a day after Tata Steel began the formal process of selling its Port Talbot plant, with thousands of jobs on the line.

Yesterday Business Secretary Sajid Javid said the Government would be willing to consider "co-investing" with potential buyers.

Ms Eagle said whether this amounted to nationalisation or not, the Tories "should spare their ideological blushes and just get on with it".

She also accused the Government of an "ideologically driven reluctance to get involved as the crisis has deepened", and invited it to come up with a comprehensive plan to save the industry.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have discussed the "pressures facing steel manufacturers in the UK and India" with the Indian Prime Minister, during their tour of the country.

William and Kate talked about the steel crisis during a lunch meeting with Narendra Modi, sources told the Press Association.

The couple are on their third day of a week-long tour of India and Bhutan.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid has said that he has been in touch with potential buyers of Port Talbot and maintained that the government is ready to help.

Government involvement includes the possibility of co-investing with a buyer by providing loans on commercial terms, or by taking a minority stake in the plant.

Mr Javid’s comments come after Tata Steel confirmed a deal to sell its Long Products Europe business, including its Scunthorpe plant, to Greybull Capital.

ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports: