Thousands of jobs at risk as British Steel consults unions over closure

Britain’s second-biggest steel producer is kicking off a consultation that could lead to the closure of its two blast furnaces and more than half of its workforce losing their jobs – a move that will pile pressure on the government to improve an offer of taxpayer aid to the company. Sky News has learnt that British Steel was on Thursday morning in discussions with trade unions about a redundancy process that could result in between 2,000 and 2,500 employees being axed out of a workforce of 3,500. One trade union source said that meetings were taking place with a public…