Nigel Farage calls for ‘re-industrialisation’ of Wales

Nigel Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot’s blast furnaces and “re-industrialise Wales”.

On a visit to South Wales, the leader of Reform UK said the resumption of traditional steelmaking and coal production is the party’s long-term ambition if it comes to power.

The speech came one year ahead of the Senedd elections in May next year, where the party is looking to end Labour’s 26 years of domination.

Addressing reporters, Mr Farage acknowledged that plans to open a traditional furnace could take years and cost “in the low billions”.

Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan said Mr Farage had offered "empty headlines and nonsensical policies".

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Chancer

The GMB Union has branded the plans “more lies from an opportunistic chancer”, while Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said Farage's call "shows how poorly he understands Welsh communities".

Port Talbot’s remaining blast furnaces were shut down in September last year, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place.

Tata Steel, the owner of the plant, said the closure of the furnaces was necessary, with the steelworks losing £1m a day.

Mr Farage acknowledged the plan to open a new furnace would cost “in the low billions” and would be “no easy thing”.

“It’s a massive, expensive job to re-open blast furnaces, we’re going to need cheaper energy, we’re going to need much cheaper coal, we are going to need private business partners prepared to come into a joint venture,” he said.

“Our ambition is to re-industrialise Wales,” Mr Farage said.

“We are going to be using more steel over the next few years than we have probably ever used.

“As we increase military spending and as we attempt a house building programme in Wales, and even more so in England, of massive proportions, just to catch up with the population explosion over the last 20 years, we are going to need a lot of steel.”

The Reform leader said “specific types of coal” are needed in the UK, particularly for a new blast furnace.

“I’m not saying let’s open all of the pits,” he said.

“What I am saying is coal, specific types of coal for certain uses that we still need in this country – and we certainly will need for the blast furnaces here – we should be producing ourselves rather than importing.”

“We should be producing ourselves, rather than importing,” he said.

While he acknowledged “mining is dangerous”, he said the industry could provide well-paying jobs.

Responding to Nigel Farage’s promise to reopen the mines, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said: “Mining was our past, but it can’t be our future.

"I know my relatives in South Wales worked hard to ensure that their children and grandchildren wouldn’t have to do the dangerous work of going down the pits and for future generations to have better opportunities in life.

“The fact that Nigel Farage doesn’t see this shows how poorly he understands Welsh communities. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will be fighting to give former industrial communities what they really want, which is modern, well-paid jobs in new industries, investment in their public services and support for small businesses, not false hope based on harking back to the past.”

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Lies

Responding to the GMB Union allegations that his party’s plans were “lies”, Mr Farage said the union was tied to the Labour Party as one of its biggest funders.

He said: “They see us as a challenge, and therefore, they’ll be rude about us.

“What you will find is that increasingly, GMB members are going to vote for us, and the more GMB members vote for us, the more upset GMB officials and leaders will become.

“Frankly, the trade unions have done nothing to protect British workers through open borders over the last 20-25 years.”

During his speech, Mr Farage said he doubted that the electric arc furnace, which is due to come online in 2028, “will ever, ever be switched on”.

Challenged on what evidence he had, he argued that with British energy prices being so high, it would be producing “very, very expensive secondary steel”.

He added: “I hope I’m wrong, an electric arc furnace is not the real deal, but it’s better than nothing.”

Mr Farage said the party’s campaign for the Senedd election next May “starts today”, but would not say when Reform would announce a leader in Wales.

Promises

Regional officer Ruth Brady, speaking at the GMB’s annual conference in Brighton, said: “The people of Port Talbot will see this for what it is – more lies from this opportunistic chancer.

“Nigel Farage was happy to let British Steel go to the wall. He’ll trot out any line when the cameras are rolling. He doesn’t care about steel communities or steel workers.”

Ms Brady said the plans to shut the blast furnaces were made by the last Tory government and the union wanted Labour to “make good on their promises to our members in Port Talbot”.

In response to the announcements, Plaid Cymru MS, Heledd Fychan, said: “Today, Reform have shown us what they offer Wales, empty headlines and nonsensical policies.

"Farage has parachuted himself into a community recently devastated by UK Government inaction, and is taking advantage of the loss by claiming to reopen the blast furnaces, something the industry have already told us is impossible.

"You can imagine my surprise at his calls to reopen the coal mines in Wales, especially considering the actions taken by his political hero, Margaret Thatcher.

"Reform clearly have no interest in actually improving the lives of the people of Wales, they can only come up with unrealistic and unsubstantiated headlines that will be of no material benefit to the people of Port Talbot or Wales.

"After 26 years of Labour in Wales, people are rightfully looking for a fresh start with a Government with credible plans to improve our public services a Plaid Cymru Government."

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS, said: “Labour promised to save every job at Port Talbot before the election — then stood by as the furnaces shut. Now Reform is making even wilder promises without even speaking to Tata.

 "Unlike Labour before the election and Reform now, the Conservative Party will not make wild promises we cannot keep. We promised to save thousands of jobs by working with Tata and investing £500m, and that's precisely what we did.

 "The Welsh Conservatives remain the only credible opposition to a failing Labour Government and Reform's fantasy economics.

 “When Tata said they were going to close the blast furnaces and withdraw from making steel in Wales we came forward with a plan that has saved thousands of jobs and will ensure that steel making continues in South Wales. Reform are interested in headlines, we believe in hard work.”

Greenpeace also hit out at the plans, saying bringing back British coal “has about as much chance of success as resurrecting dinosaurs”.