The Nigel Farage interview: Why Reform hasn't got a Welsh leader, steel, coal and education
The Nigel Farage interview: Why Reform hasn't got a Welsh leader, steel, coal and education
He faced tough questions on paying for the pledges he has made for Wales
Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage has started his party's campaign ahead of next year's Senedd election, saying he believes his party will win enough votes to govern Wales.
The Clacton MP spoke to WalesOnline after he gave a speech in Port Talbot in which he made pledges about reopening the blast furnaces at the steelworks in Port Talbot, restarting coal mining in Wales, and cutting the help available to asylum seekers.
He made time for an interview after a private event for select party members and journalists at which he was asked about his plans for the party, who it would put forward to be First Minister, and for detail on the pledges he announced ahead of the visit - many in an opinion piece penned for WalesOnline.
In that, he wrote: "We have said and say again that we think it's better to use British coal for British steel than imported coal. Which is why we would allow coal, if suitable, to be mined in Wales as part of Reform's long-term ambition to reopen the Port Talbot Steelworks but we know this will not be quick or easy."
He also wrote: "We would end funding to the Wales Refugee Council".
At the event he also announced two more councillors have joined the party, both were previously independent members at Merthyr Tydfil council. You can read about that here.
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He claimed that fellow senior Reform member Richard Tice and he were to thank for the UK Government investing in British Steel in Scunthorpe, and said he was to thank for Labour today announcing a U-turn on its unpopular winter fuel payments policy.
He claimed the timing of the UK Government for noon today was designed to clash with the planned start of his press conference.
During our interview, we asked Mr Farage about the main points of his opinion piece - about reopening the blast furnaces in Port Talbot, resuming coal mining in Wales and cutting funding for the Welsh Refugee Council.
We also asked about a leader being appointed in Wales. Currently, there is no Welsh figurehead, and no idea who it would put forward to be any prospective First Minister, something the party would have to do if, as he claims, it will govern Wales after the Senedd election in 2026.
Mr Farage left the interview with WalesOnline early, refusing to take part in a quickfire series of questions.
WalesOnline: "Right now you haven't got a leader yet in Wales. If you take seats you're going to need one. What are your plans?"
Nigel Farage: "Right now, at the minute I'm the leader of the national party. I'm here in Wales, as I've just been in England in the local elections. Today we've opened up the candidates, for policy processes.
"We're just getting going really, really just getting going in Wales. So please give me time. And that leadership figure in Wales will emerge."
You were here a few months ago [November] and you asked for time. Then when what's your timeline? When when can we start asking that question and we'll get an answer?
Have a look at what I've done since the last time I was here.
Have a look at some of the victories we've secured in England and in Scotland last week in the Scottish Parliament by election, we came from nowhere to pushing up close to the SNP and Labour.
We've got a lot going on, all right and it will happen.
In terms of Port Talbot, one of the things you've announced today is that you want the blast furnaces to reopen, and it wasn't coal that shut them down, it was billions of under-investment, it was £1 million loss a day for a private company. What power has Reform got to make any pledge about that?
We can state an ambition of what we think should happen. And I honestly believe, well, I know, we're going to be using more steel in the coming decades than we've ever used before. Even modern house constructions uses an awful lot of steel, out of town distribution centres use an awful lot of steel.
We're talking about a military upgrade, a much needed military upgrade. We need steel and the idea we just import all of this from India and China... we have to find ways we can do it here.
The barrier is the cost of energy and Cardiff on its own can't sort that out. We need a national government that understands it as well. But I think as an ambition, it's the right one.
You've also spoken about coal mines and you'd like coal mining to resume here in Wales.
No, no, no, specialist, specialist small scale. We still have certain uses for coal in this country. Certainly with the renewed steel industry, there'll be these bigger uses for coal.
I just think this mindset that we as a country produce nothing and import everything leaves us very vulnerable in a dangerous world.
You've also said that you want to end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council, and that isn't funded by the Welsh Government
I didn't mention it in my speech.
You mentioned it in an op-ed you sent Wales Online.
Yeah, but I didn't mention it in my speech.
Does that mean it's no longer a policy?
We'll do what we can. But I mean the whole concept of a Nation of Sanctuary is just so far away from where most voters is, it's almost not true.
Just yesterday your team gave us an opinion piece by you said that was a policy. Has that now disappeared?
No. We will end all funding and if there isn't much of it, there won't be much to cut.
There's been no real mention today of health or education policies, two huge devolved areas where I'm sure lots of people would agree that there's work to be done. Why haven't you picked areas that you can actually do something about?
I talked a lot about education today. I talked a hell of a lot of education today.
I talked about the fact that the worst GCSE results in the whole of the United Kingdom are in Wales.
I talked about the fact there are lots of people leaving school at 18 who frankly, have been freewheeling for the last few years, not even not even wanting to be there.
But setting up a technical college isn't going to improve standards, it was one thing, it won't improve standards across the board?
It is actually to introduce vocational training and learning trades and skills through school, cooperating with colleges, cooperating with companies. There are one or two examples in England where this has happened, where a big say, a big local manufacturer has started to encourage people at 15 to do GCSEs, but also to learn some engineering as well, or whatever else it may be.
And through engineering and AI, this actually for many, many young people gives them something they can focus on. Something that they actually want to do. And that way by the age of 18, we get to produce kids with an education far better than they've got.
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Mr Farage then left the interview after being asked to do a quickfire quiz.
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