UK government ministers stand ready to appoint special managers to oversee Liberty Steel’s Rotherham and Stocksbridge operations should Speciality Steel UK (SSUK) enter administration—according to reporting from The Guardian on August 20, 2025. The company, which employs 1,450 workers, faces creditor-backed attempts at winding up amid a contentious pre-pack administration plan proposed by Sanjeev Gupta that aims to return operations to Gupta-linked entities. The Department for Business and Trade has affirmed readiness to support a government-led sales process if court proceedings move toward administration. A brief adjournment in court was allowed by Judge Sally Barber to evaluate the options. Liberty Steel has recorded losses of approximately £340 million over four years, halting production for nearly a year while continuing to pay wages, and is under additional scrutiny due to an active investigation by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office. The government views this potential intervention as its second major rescue attempt in the steel sector this year after the British Steel situation in Scunthorpe