Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Labour has been urged to lay out a credible plan for the future of British Steel, as the government spending watchdog warned of the “startling” costs of keeping the struggling manufacturer in business with no end in sight.
asserted
watchdog → urge → sight
British Steel was taken into public ownership in July to protect “the future of steel production”, 15 months after the government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.
asserted
government → take → jobs
But it is costing £1.3m a day to keep the company running, with the total estimated cost reaching as much as £1.5bn by 2028.
asserted
cost → cost → 2028
By mid-June, the government had spent £555m paying workers’ salaries and buying raw materials, excluding the cost of external advisers.
asserted
government → spend → advisers
The public accounts committee of MPs said on Friday that ministers were still “unable to articulate what business model” would put the company on a sustainable footing, nearly a year and a half after taking control at Scunthorpe.
asserted
model → say → Scunthorpe
It added that the Department for Business and Trade had not given “even indicative estimates” of how much British Steel would ultimately cost taxpayers or how long the situation would continue.
asserted
situation → add → taxpayers
After nationalising British Steel, the government appointed new bosses to focus on stabilising the business.
asserted
government → appoint → business
Clive Betts, the committee’s deputy chair, said the move to save the company was “all well and good”, but added: “This was just the beginning.
asserted
This → say → company
Having brought British Steel onto the taxpayers’ books, it is now up to government to explain its plan for its future.
asserted
it → bring → future
“Unfortunately, beyond simply propping up the company with public money, the government was not able to outline such a plan to our inquiry.
asserted
government → prop → inquiry
The reality is that British Steel is unable to wash its own face, and government is now in charge of making sure it gets on to a sustainable financial footing for the future.
asserted
gets → wash → future
“We also require assurances that the startling levels of funding British Steel is currently receiving do not come at the expense of the wider sector.”
asserted
Steel → require → sector
The criticism came days after Labour also nationalised Britain’s third-biggest producer of the metal, the Yorkshire-based Speciality Steel UK, in an attempt to protect 1,300 jobs.
asserted
Labour → come → jobs
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said at the time that the government did not “intervene in private companies lightly” but that the move was important to safeguard heavy industry.
asserted
move → say → industry
The public accounts committee said it showed the government could not “spend all its money supporting British Steel, when clearly there will be a need to support other parts of the industry”.
uncertain
government → say → industry
It added: “[Taxpayers] remain exposed to significant and growing costs and uncertainty – it is not clear whether the money will ever be recovered.”
asserted
money → add → costs
The government should publish a plan for the company that included “options and analysis for the intended future production model and the role of British Steel in the UK economy; the preferred decarbonisation pathway; how the company will become financially sustainable; and the expected costs, funding sources and timetable”, the committee’s report said.
asserted
report → publish → economy
The former owner Jingye has separately argued that British Steel owed it almost £1bn when it was nationalised and has started a formal process under an international treaty to win compensation from the government.
asserted
it → argue → government
The move has also put pressure on UK-Chinese relations, with China’s government saying it is “strongly dissatisfied” with the situation.
asserted
it → put → situation
The Aporia
