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.
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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'.
The GMB Union has branded the plans 'more lies from an opportunistic chancer'.
Port Talbot's remaining blast furnaces were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place.
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Tata Steel, the owner of the plant, said the closure of the furnaces was necessary, with the steelworks losing £1m a day.
'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.'
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Tata Steel's Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales (Ben Birchall/PA)
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.'
While he acknowledged 'mining is dangerous', Mr Farage said the industry could provide well-paying jobs.
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The Reform leader 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 reopen 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.
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.
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'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.
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'.
Political opponents hit out at Reform's plans, with a Welsh Labour spokesperson saying the people of Wales would 'see through' Mr Farage's false hopes and promises.
'His answer is to bring back the mines. The only thing Nigel Farage is trying to mine is votes from communities that have already gone through tough times,' they said.
'Nigel Farage has today brought his fantasy politics and magic money tree to Port Talbot. He's gambling with real people's livelihoods.'
Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, accused Mr Farage of making 'wild promises' without speaking to Tata.
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick argued mining was Wales' past, not its future.
Nigel Farage acknowledged 'mining is dangerous' but said the industry could provide well-paying jobs (Ben Birchall/PA)
'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,' he said.
'The fact that Nigel Farage doesn't see this shows how poorly he understands Welsh communities.'
Heledd Fychan, speaking for Plaid Cymru, accused Mr Farage of 'taking advantage' after the industry said reopening the existing furnaces would be '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,' she said.
'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.
Greenpeace also hit out at the plans, saying bringing back British coal 'has about as much chance of success as resurrecting dinosaurs'.
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