Business Secretary and Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid has met with Tata Steel chiefs amid reports the company is planning to put on hold the sale of its beleaguered º£½ÇÊÓƵ arm.
Mr Javid travelled to Mumbai to meet with board members of the global steel group during a visit to India to discuss future trade deals following the recent Brexit vote.
Tata Steel is trying to offload its loss-making plants in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, which includes two sites in the Black Country, where around 800 staff are employed and thousands more jobs supported in the supply chain.
Tata Steel is reported to have put the sale process on hold for most of its º£½ÇÊÓƵ plants, including the country's largest in Port Talbot where 4,000 staff are employed,
Mr Javid said: "Following the referendum result, my absolute priority is making sure the º£½ÇÊÓƵ has the tools it needs to continue to compete on the global stage.
"That is why I am in India to launch these initial trade discussions. There is a strong bilateral trade relationship between our two countries and I am determined that we build on this.
"Over the coming months, I will be conducting similar meetings with other key trade partners, outlining the government's vision for what the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's future trade relationship might look like."
Tata Steel has previously said its º£½ÇÊÓƵ operations have been hit by the high costs of steel products, energy costs and climate change policies.
One of the biggest obstacles to the sale of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ business has been the legacy of the British Steel Pension fund, which Tata inherited when it bought the business in 2007. It has 130,000 members and a deficit of £700 million.
Tata Steel which includes a bright bar factory in Wednesbury and a coated narrow strip plant in Walsall.
Among the suitors are a management team called Excalibur Steel º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Liberty House, the commodities trading firm which
However, Tata Steel appears to be ready to sell its speciality steel business, which employs 2,000 workers in Hartlepool, Rotherham and Stocksbridge.
