Cement bosses in concrete plan to blockade Whitehall as firms warn they could be buried by cheap imports
Cement lorries will descend on Whitehall next month as Britain’s struggling construction firms warn they could be wiped out by a wave of cheap imports unless the Government protects the sector.
A tanker emblazoned with the slogan ‘Back British Cement’ will arrive in Westminster on July 27 as part of plans drawn up by the Breedon Group, one of the UK’s largest cement producers.
It is hoped the demonstration will have the same impact as recent farmers’ protests against Labor inheritance tax Changes that have seen dozens of tractors parked near Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.
The intervention comes as cement bosses warn that Britain is being left sitting ducks, with its producers unable to compete due to high energy costs, due to recent changes in the US and EU that have blocked cheap imports of the material from abroad.
This echoes similar warnings from the steel industry that Britain’s lax import controls mean cheap steel producers such as China could flood the British market with cheaper goods, making it impossible for local firms to compete.
Coming up: A tanker emblazoned with the slogan ‘Back British Cement’ will arrive in Westminster on July 27
Cement bosses argue that the material used in housing, infrastructure and defense construction is as vital to Britain’s economic security as steel.
‘A strong British cement industry is fundamental to the UK’s economic growth,’ Breedon boss Rob Wood told The Mail on Sunday.
‘If the Government is serious about its ambitions it must ensure that British cement producers can compete on a level playing field. ‘
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