IN his weekly column of April 7 Mr Gray is being disingenuous when he claims that the “oversupply of Chinese steel” flowing “freely over our borders” is “partly the fault of the Government, largely the fault of the EU, since it is they who set tariffs.”

The fault for the flow of Chinese steel lies fairly and squarely at the feet of our government.

On March 31 the Financial Times reported Axel Eggert, head of the European Steel Association, representing every steel producer in Europe, as saying: “The UK is the ringleader in a blocking minority of member states that is preventing a European Commission proposal on the modernisation of Europe’s trade defence instruments.”

Simply put, our government’s opposition to the proposed EU rule change to abolish lower tariff levels has prevented the introduction of higher tariffs on steel.

The flow of Chinese steel could have been stopped but the government prevented that.

Mr. Eggert concludes with this: “When the UK government says it is willing to do whatever it takes, it must take seriously the need to push through – along with other member states – the reforms to European trade policy that could actually defend the industry from unfair dumping and prevent the job losses in the sector that we are seeing today.” Sound advice it seems to me.

Mr Gray may also like to consider another article from the Financial Times. Quoted in the FT on February 4.

Binjal Shah, the widely respected steel industry analyst from India, makes the point that production in the UK of iron ore and coking coal is now non-existent and thus steel-making is much more expensive.

These natural resource industries used to be the backbone of British heavy industry. Starting with Thatcher, the politicians decided that it was cheaper and therefore more profitable for big business to import than produce. Result? Imported iron ore and coal are now too expensive for the UK to produce its own steel.

A 30-year-old Thatcher legacy – the destruction of our natural resource producing industries - is the big chicken coming home to roost.

Once again, under this “liberal economy”, it is ordinary folk that pay the price with their “lifeblood” for the loss of jobs and the destruction of communities.

Finally, Mr Gray may like to address how will British farmers be supported and subsidised if we leave the EU?

If we are going to assist the farming industry to maintain production, which we need to do in this liberal economy, then why can’t we assist the steel industry now?

MARK JOHNSON

Via email