A mothballed former steelworks site in Redcar has secured £71m of government funding as Boris Johnson seeks to cement his support in the former Labour strongholds he won in December’s general election. Redcar, a coastal town in north-east England, was one of more than two dozen “red wall” seats where Labour voters ditched lifelong political allegiances to back the Conservatives last month. More than 2,200 people lost their jobs when the Thailand-based Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) went into liquidation with its UK subsidiary running up £500m worth of debts. “I have always said I would be the first to ask government for more money when we needed it for the redevelopment of the former Redcar steelworks site,” he said. “So, after asking, I’m pleased we will be receiving the £71m to help secure the site and accelerate its preparation for private sector investment.

Source: The Guardian January 10, 2020 09:37 UTC