Its creation was imposed on the industry by Ramsay MacDonald's National Government as a precondition to the establishment of steel import tariffs.
It was a successor to the National Federation of Iron and Steel Manufacturers, formed in 1918.
Sir William James Larke was the first director of the federation.
[1] It continued to exist until 1967 when the industry was nationalised as British Steel Corporation during Harold Wilson's second term in government.
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