Steelworkers' leaders tonight urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to save tens of thousands of jobs in Britain's “strategic foundation industry”.
Posts are at risk after orders “fell of a cliff” - plunging the fragile sector into a fresh crisis, warned the Community trade union.
In a letter seen by the Mirror, general secretary Roy Rickhuss urged Mr Sunak “to do everything necessary to safeguard the future of our great industry”.
Mr Rickhuss wrote: “There is no doubt the current crisis poses a threat to the steel industry in this country, and the most pressing concern is maintaining liquidity. “In many cases order books have fallen off a cliff and because of this a number of companies are facing huge cash flow challenges which could become