Politics latest: Nationalising British Steel could cost billions a day, former business secretary warns (2025)

Tonight's show has finished. We'll be back with more politics news here tomorrow.

And Tuesday's Politics Hub will air at 7pm tomorrow. See you then.

In the meantime, tap here to follow Politics At Sam And Anne's or here for Electoral Dysfunction, Sky News' politics podcasts.

An important story now on the Politics Hub, which we published an exclusive on this morning.

Our reporting found that four more people have attempted to take their own lives in relation to the loan charge scandal, which has left tens of thousands of contractors facing huge bills for tax their employers should have paid.

HMRC has made 17 referrals to the police watchdog (Independent Office for Police Conduct) over the suicide attempts of 14 people, up from the 13 referrals of 10 people previously known about in October 2023.

The figures, revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by Sky News, comeon top of the 10 known suicidesof people caught up in the controversial tax crackdown, which has alarmed MPs across the political spectrum.

'My whole world was falling apart'

Father-of-three Ray Newton is one of thousands of people affected.

He said: "I was literally begging - please tell me what it is I owe. It made me look as though I was a bad person… my wife actually left me and I got really in a state over this.

"I was having counselling, I was on antidepressant drugs, I was on sleeping pills. You know, my whole world was sort of falling apart.

"It was like being trapped in an endless nightmare."

Tap below to read the full story...

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or emailjo@samaritans.orgin the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

We now turn to the issue of the safety of prison officers, following an attack by 28-year-oldHashem Abediat HMP Frankland in County Durham on Saturday.

The brother ofSalman Abedi, the Manchester Area bomber, threw hot cooking oilover prisonguardsbeforestabbing them with homemade weapons on Saturday.

Jenrick says he believes the attack shows frontline prison officers should be issued with stab vests as protection.

"That's what the union has called for and I support that fully," he says.

He goes on to argue that there has been a rise of "Islamist extremism" in UK prisons, citing a report carried out in 2016 by former prison governor Ian Acheson.

"I think it is escalating and I really urge the Ministry of Justice and those governors who I think have turned a blind eye to this, to get a grip now because it's reaching boiling point," he says.

"And it's important to the country because I don't want to see people being forcibly converted, potentially radicalised, and then later released onto our streets."

He adds: "But the most urgent issue is the safety of prison officers. These are brave people, public servants doing a difficult job, often for not very much money.

"And if you're making a decision as governor, it should always be that the prison officer's safety comes first, not the welfare of criminals."

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, is now being asked whether he still believes"two-tier" policingis operating in the UK.

The term - used to describe the impression that some protests and demonstrations are dealt with more harshly than others - came to prominence following the summer riots that took place in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings.

A report published today by the Home Affairs Committee found that despite widespread accusations, there was no evidence of "two-tier policing" in the handling of the riots.

But speaking to Ali Fortescue, Jenrick says he "respectfully disagrees" with some of the report's conclusions.

"I mean, you only have to look at some of the statistics," he says.

"One of the most striking ones I've seen is the fact that more people were prosecuted for the riots in Rotherham last summer than for the decades-long grooming gang scandal that involved hundreds, maybe thousands of children in that town."

'Millions of people in this country are worried'

Jenrick goes on to cite changes to guidance that the Sentencing Council planned to implement, which would have recommended that judges consider a criminal's ethnicity before deciding their punishment.

However, the council later suspended the guidancefrom coming into force following a political backlash.

"The government agreed with us that there was a two-tier situation arising and we've recently uncovered the fact that, when you look at bail, there are guidelines which say that you should be prioritised for bail if you are an ethnic minority versus others, such as a white person," he says.

"The evidence is there to back up the claim, but beyond that, it's very evident to me that millions of people in this country are worried that there is a creeping two-tier system, whether it's in the criminal justice system more broadly or in policing."

Next, we look at the former minister Tulip Siddiq, who is also facing allegations.

But she has claimed there is "no evidence" she has done anything wrong after Bangladesh issued a warrant for her arrest.

Speaking outside her home, she claimed to be the "victim of a politically motivated smear campaign".

Watch political correspondent Rob Powell explain the allegations below...

Now on the Politics Hub, a recap of one of today's biggest political stories - the news that 15 people have been charged after an election betting investigation.

The Gambling Commission released the list of names today, after allegations that there were bets on the date of last year's general election.

Tap below for our full write-up of the story.

Much of today's coverage has been about the ongoing bin strikes in Birmingham and our panel have just discussed it.

A deal that would've brought the industrial action to an end was roundly rejected by workers, leaving all sides scrambling.

But why are workers striking? And how long could it last?

Read more in our explainer piece below...

Cable is now asked whether he thinks nationalisation is the best way forward for the Scunthorpe plant.

"Well, there aren't any easy solutions," Cable says.

"If we decide to keep it, and I think there's a good reason for doing so, it's got to be recognised that it's not commercially competitive and it's going to have to be subsidised, probably over a long term period - whether it's privately, publicly owned."

The former business secretary goes on to say that the government now needs to be "honest and spell out" that large subsidies are going to be needed - in the form of higher taxes or cuts to public spending.

Asked how much he thinks government intervention could cost, Cable says: "We're talking about billions a day - potential billions. There's no point in putting a figure on it."

Watch below: A clip from the Politics At Sam and Anne's podcast explaining why nationalising British Steel could be a problem for the government.

The Politics Hub now hears from Vince Cable, who was business secretary during the coalition years.

Presenter Ali Fortescue asks him whether he agrees with the current business secretary's stance - that he wouldn't bring a Chinese company into the steel sector again, following the troubles suffered at the plant in Scunthorpe.

Cable says: "Well, we have - they're there and they've been behaving badly."

He says the company that runs the plant -Jingye - "turned down a government proposal and decided to walk away, which they're entitled to".

But he adds: "I think they should have done this in an orderly way. So I think the way the government has intervened is quite correct.

"But as a general rule, you know, that Chinese companies can't be in the steel industry - that doesn't, I think, make a great deal of sense. "

He continues: "We welcomed Chinese investment when it was originally made because no one else was willing to take the company on.

"So I think it's not a general issue, it's the way that this particular company is behaving, which has caused the crisis and caused the government to intervene."

The Politics Hub is live now on Sky News.

Watch in the stream at the top of this live page, and follow along here for the latest.