Headlines
UK government to take over Liberty Steel division after collapse
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
The UK government takes over Liberty Steel after its liquidation, aiming to stabilize the steel industry and secure jobs amid financial challenges.
LONDON (Reuters) -The British government said it will take control of a part of Liberty Steel, owned by commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, after the business was placed into liquidation following a petition from its creditors on Thursday.
A judge at London's High Court approved the petition for Yorkshire-based Speciality Steel UK, one of Britain's largest steelworks, to be placed into compulsory liquidation, describing the business as "hopelessly insolvent", the BBC reported.
The government would cover the ongoing costs of the business while it tries to find a buyer, the report added.
The business, which employs 1,450 people and produces steel used in aerospace, defence and power generation, will be placed under a government-appointed liquidator and managers from consultancy Teneo, the government's Insolvency Service said.
The government's takeover of the business marks its second intervention in the industry following its move to take control of British Steel's loss-making Scunthorpe plant in April.
Liberty Steel is part of Gupta's family conglomerate, GFG Alliance, which has been refinancing its businesses in steel, aluminium and energy after its backer, supply chain finance firm Greensill, filed for insolvency in 2021. It also has operations in other parts of Europe, Australia and the United States.
The company said the court's decision was "irrational" and that the plan it had presented would have secured new investment into the steel industry.
"Liquidation will now impose prolonged uncertainty and significant costs on UK taxpayers," Liberty Steel Chief Transformation Officer Jeffrey Kabel said in an emailed statement.
The government said it was committed to supporting the steel industry.
"We know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and their families, but we remain committed to a bright and sustainable future for steelmaking and steel making jobs in the UK," a government spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Susan Fenton)
The UK government decided to take control after Liberty Steel was placed into liquidation, with a judge approving the petition for Yorkshire-based Speciality Steel UK.
The business employs 1,450 people who are now facing uncertainty due to the liquidation process.
The government plans to cover ongoing costs while seeking a buyer for the business, which will be managed by a government-appointed liquidator.
Liberty Steel described the court's decision as 'irrational' and claimed that their proposed plan would have secured new investment into the steel industry.
This takeover marks the UK government's second intervention in the steel industry, following its control of British Steel's loss-making Scunthorpe plant in April.
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