A new campaign Back British Metals has launched with a direct call to the government: ensure metals are recognised as strategically essential in the forthcoming UK Industrial Strategy and Critical Minerals Strategy. 

Building on the recent government intervention to safeguard British steelmaking, the campaign welcomes this support as a first step, but warns that a broader, more inclusive metals strategy is now urgently needed. The Back British Metals coalition is asking government to show the same bold ambition across the entire UK metals sector, including  aluminium, copper, cobalt, lithium, steel, and the platinum group metals (PGMs). 

At the heart of the campaign is a Parliamentary Pledge Event, planned at 10am–12noon on Tuesday, 20 May, where MPs and Ministers will be invited to sign a formal commitment to  Back British Metals and show their support for the sector.  

The Mission 

Back British Metals is a national call to recognise and strengthen the UK’s capability to  produce, process, and recycle essential metals.

From strategic energy pricing to smarter procurement, the campaign is focused on building a more resilient and competitive domestic metals sector – one that enables decarbonisation, supports economic security, and underpins  the UK’s long-term industrial growth. At its core, the campaign seeks to align UK policy  with industrial capability, so that foundational metals are not only protected, but championed  as part of a joined-up industrial vision. 

Why Now? 

Metals are the foundation of Britain’s industrial strength. From aluminium and copper to steel and the platinum group metals, they are critical to the UK’s clean energy transition, defence resilience, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Despite this, too many strategic metals supply chains remain undervalued or at risk. Rising industrial energy prices are damaging UK competitiveness. Strategic-grade scrap is being exported instead of reused domestically. And current policy frameworks often overlook foundational metals in both  industrial and critical materials planning. 

Without a coordinated, cross-cutting strategy, the UK risks weakening its own industrial capabilities at a time when resilience, energy transition and international competitiveness are  more important than ever. Metals must be understood not as commodities, but as core  enablers of the UK’s future economy.

A Cross-Sector Call to Action 

The Back British Metals campaign urges the UK Government to adopt a joined-up, whole value-chain approach to industrial strategy, underpinned by tangible policy measures. Specifically, it is calling on Government to: 

1. Include metals and foundation industries as core enablers of all eight growth  sectors in the UK Industrial Strategy. 

2. Adopt a full value chain approach across both Industrial and Critical Minerals  strategies, encompassing mining, processing, fabrication, manufacturing and  recycling. 

3. Ensure the Critical Minerals Strategy is inclusive, explicitly recognising  aluminium, steel, copper, platinum group metals and other strategic materials  beyond rare earths. 

Get Involved 

Back British Metals will be hosting a Parliamentary Pledge Event on Tuesday, May 20, inviting MPs, Ministers, and industry leaders to demonstrate their support by signing the pledge and backing a truly strategic approach to UK metals.