Members of Parliament have backed Breedon Group plc (LON:BREE) policy asks for Government to provide greater support for UK domestic cement production, with new research of a representative sample of MP’s views of the British Cement industry showing strong cross-party support. The findings come as Breedon continues its “Back British Cement” campaign, that aims to ensure a sustainable future for domestic cement manufacturing and the delivery of vital construction, housing and infrastructure projects.
The recent research was commissioned on behalf of Breedon Group as part of its Back British Cement campaign, and was conducted by Yonder Consulting, among 102 MPs from all parties.
The results of the research found that most MPs back Breedon’s policy asks and the economic case for British cement, although many MPs still lack awareness of the significant challenges facing the British cement industry. The principal findings of the research were:
· Backing British Cement – around three-quarters of all MPs agree with the arguments relating to Breedon’s overall policy asks, whilst the economic arguments outpolled that relating to prioritising reducing carbon omissions
· Low awareness of the challenges facing British cement – only around a third of MPs claim to be aware of the challenges facing UK cement
· Low confidence in delivering the UK’s construction ambitions – only one in eight MPs are confident that the UK can deliver its major construction and infrastructure ambitions if domestic cement production continues to decline at the current rate
· Aware of CBAM, but less so its timing – although most MPs are aware of CBAM, less than two-in-five are aware that its introduction is due to come into effect in January 2027
· Levelling the playing field is a no brainer – nearly two-thirds of MPs agree the government should address the imbalance between the costs borne by domestic as compared to overseas cement producers
Following these findings, Breedon will continue to ramp up its engagement with Government and opposition parties to highlight the importance of a strong and sustainable domestic cement industry to deliver the UK’s economic growth, construction ambitions and transition to a lower-carbon economy.
Rob Wood, Chief Executive of Breedon said:
“We thank MPs for sending a strong message of support for our Back British Cement campaign. Domestically produced cement is fundamental to the UK’s ability to build the homes and infrastructure we need, while supporting skilled jobs, regional economies and robust supply chains.
“Our research shows there is strong support among MPs for maintaining domestic production and ensuring UK producers can compete on a level playing field with a workable CBAM.
“Breedon believes that backing British cement is fundamental to delivering the Government’s ambitions for reindustrialisation and growth in every postcode, and we therefore ask again for the Government’s unequivocal backing in deeds, not just words, of this foundation industry.”
