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New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had the ongoing British Steel crisis brought to his immediate attention, by Brigg & Goole MP Andrew Percy.

Having been given a question in his inaugural House of Commons sitting, the fellow Conservative said one of the best ways of saving British Steel in Scunthorpe is to "commit quickly to HS3" linking Hull to Liverpool.

Mr Johnson responded, saying he is a "huge fan" and that "we should definitely be building it".

A free-port advocate, improving the east to west corridor is seen as of utmost importance to the industry, as more goods head into the country via northern docks and quaysides to avoid the congested South East and reduce road miles.

It would also have been on the wish-list when Mr Percy served as Northern Powerhouse Minister.

British Steel produces rail with specialist facilities in Scunthorpe. Network Rail has even tabled a bid for that element should a single buyer not emerge. It was placed into compulsory liquidation when debts of £880 million were revealed at a High Court hearing in May.

Yesterday, then Business Secretary Greg Clark stood at the same despatch box and told how British Steel’s opportunity to flourish once more “though not certain, is certainly within grasp”.

He told how recent increased production set a precedent in his experience for a business in such a crisis, before the baton was handed to Andrea Leadsom, new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.