UK offers £600m help to try to keep last steel plants going and save jobs

Jeremy Hunt expected to confirm support for British Steel and Tata to employ lower-emissions technology

The companies running Britain's four remaining steel blastfurnaces have been offered 600m in government support to help fund the switch from coal and invest in lower-emissions technology.

The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is expected to confirm 300m each for British Steel and Tata Steel in an announcement as soon as this week, although the timing will depend on them accepting the offers. The BBC first reported the government offer to both companies.