The UK government is confident it will beat a race against time to keep the British Steel furnaces running after taking control of the plant from Chinese owners Jingye this weekend.

Civil servants and steel workers were rushing to secure the raw materials to keep the Scunthorpe site’s furnaces going – which supply Network Rail and critical manufacturers – before they ran out of time.

But No 10 has now said it is “confident” it will secure the supply of materials, with two ships docked nearby and another on its way to the UK.

It comes after business secretary Jonathan Reynolds declined to guarantee on Sunday that the government could get enough raw materials before existing supplies run out.

Union officials earlier said they were “hopeful” that the materials needed to keep furnaces burning at the plant will be delivered within the next 48 hours.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has now confirmed to journalists: “We are now confident in securing the supply of materials needed.” 

He added: “Obviously we will be working with the management to identify further raw materials needed to keep a steady pipeline, and to keep the furnaces burning.”

Two ships carrying materials are docked at Immingham port, in North Lincolnshire, with “a third ship currently on route off the coast of Africa… making its way to the UK”, he said.

No 10 would not say whether money had been exchanged for the materials, and said they would reach the plant in the “coming days”.

British Steel negotiations

MPs and Lords passed an emergency law on Saturday giving the UK government control of the Lincolnshire site to prevent the owners closing the furnaces, risking almost 3,000 jobs.

It’s now crucial for the government to find enough new raw materials to keep the furnaces going, as if their temperature drops too long it is nearly impossible to switch them back on.