UK Government accused of double standards over British Steel plans

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP has criticised the UK Government for double standards in the treatment of steelworkers in Port Talbot, during Saturday's House of Commons debate on the future of the Scunthorpe steelworks.

In September 2024, TATA Steel closed the blast furnaces at Port Talbot, cutting 2,800 jobs in the process.

Ms Saville Roberts highlighted "Labour’s inaction" in contrast with the urgency to intervene to protect jobs in the case of Scunthorpe, which she described as a “bitter, bitter disappointment for Port Talbot”, where steelmaking has been in place for over a century.

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Amendment

Plaid Cymru has tabled an amendment to include Wales under the terms of this Bill, in order to highlight that the measures debated today would have been able to be used to save the blast furnaces at Tata Steel.

Plaid Cymru consistently called for nationalisation to be on the table to save jobs in Port Talbot – raising it 21 times since 2023 in Parliament and the Senedd.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “Today’s legislation to safeguard the UK’s last bastion of primary steelmaking capacity is of course to be supported. But what my party cannot support is this government’s approach to steel in the UK which deems steel in Scunthorpe is worth saving, but not steel in Wales.

“Today is a bitter day for the people of Port Talbot, where the blast furnaces have been extinguished, because Labour let that happen. These job losses will take an estimated £200 million from the local economy in lost wages. People in south Wales have been loyally voting for Labour for decades. Does this Labour government therefore feel proud that those votes have been paid back by Tory-style deindustrialisation in Port Talbot?

“Plaid Cymru has consistently called for nationalisation, but the Labour First Minister of Wales rejected our calls. She described nationalisation as “pipe dreams”.

“Labour in Wales were quick to mock our proposal – which we made 21 times on record in Cardiff and here. Now, it’s UK Labour policy for Scunthorpe.

“This government must therefore set out how much of the £2.5 billion steel fund will be allocated towards securing Scunthorpe, and how does this compare to amount given to support laid off workers in Wales?

“Under this Government Scunthorpe gets security, whilst Port Talbot gets a pittance."

Ms Saville Roberts added: “Plaid Cymru believes that Port Talbot should, and could have received equal treatment alongside Scunthorpe. That is why we have tabled an amendment to include Wales under the terms of this Bill.

That highlights that the measures we are debating today would have been able to be used to save the blast furnaces at Tata Steel in Wales.

“We will not let Labour hide from the fact that they own the decision not to intervene to save Welsh steel when they had the opportunity to do so.

“Workers and communities must be at the centre of any long-term solution for the steel industry. So far, Labour both in Westminster and in Cardiff have worked in partnership to dispatch thousands of Welsh workers to uncertainty and hopelessness.

“People in Wales will not forget today. Today is a day of bitter, bitter disappointment for Port Talbot.”