Latest news with #reindustrialisation
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Farage to pledge to reopen blast furnaces in Port Talbot
Nigel Farage will pledge to reopen Port Talbot's steel blast furnaces if in power in Wales, as his Reform UK party sets its sights on being the government in the Senedd next year. In a speech in Port Talbot later, Mr Farage will outline how next year's Welsh parliament elections will be the primary focus of his party. The MP for Clacton has already ruled out standing at the Senedd elections next year. It is unclear who will lead the Reform party in Wales. Reindustrialising Wales will be at the centre of his speech. Acknowledging the task at hand won't be quick or easy, Mr Farage is also expected to suggest a return to coal mining, if suitable, as part of Reform's "long-term ambition to reopen Port Talbot steel". A Reform source told Sky News: "We have said and say again that we think it's better to use British coal for British steel than imported coal." Port Talbot was the largest steelmaking plant in the UK until the two blast furnaces were switched off in September 2024, which saw the loss of 2,800 jobs as part of the transition to greener production methods. Electric arc furnaces are replacing both blast furnaces and are set to be operational by early 2028. 2:30 Wales is set to head to the polls in May next year and Reform hopes to end the 26-year Labour government reign in Wales. The Reform source said Mr Farage's speech "will tap into the hearts and minds of a deeply patriotic nation that feels betrayed and forgotten about by Labour". Recent polling by Barn Cymru saw the Labour vote share in Wales collapse to 18%, with Reform second in the polls on 25% behind Plaid Cymru on 30%, whereas the Conservatives who are currently the opposition in the Senedd are on 13%. Reform believes the performance of their party in Scotland confirms they can win in Wales next year. The source told Sky News: "We are the main challenger to Labour in Wales. A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Labour."
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Nigel Farage vows to give young people opportunity to learn trades like welding and robotics in new plan
NIGEL Farage will offer young people the chance to take up trades such as welding and robotics as part of his re-industrialisation plans. The Reform UK leader will accuse Labour of forgetting their heartlands by offering a bright future to youths if they gain power. Farage has vowed to set up regional technical colleges in Wales teaching plumbing, electrical trades and industrial automation in a careers blitz if they win power there next year. The intervention is part of a major drive to win next year's elections there as he blames Labour's 'twenty-six years of failure' on a visit there today. The move comes as the party chief vows to abandon the government's Net Zero drive if he reaches power by re-opening coal mines. The party chief intends to give the green light to digging for British coal rather than importing it to help make home-grown steel. Ministers have set out their plans for not granting any more coal licences insisting that phasing out is crucial to tackling climate change. But during a major speech today, he will talk about how Wales produced 60 million tons of coal exporting half of it. He will also hail the country's heritage, he will address Port Talbot steelworks which were once the largest steel plant in Europe. The party chief will use a major speech in the Principality setting out his plans to re-industrialise the country in areas betrayed by Labour. He will take aim at Sir Keir Starmer's 'year of failure' since coming to power and saying the game is up for blaming the Tories for the woes of Wales. Mr Farage will also highlight how de-industrialisation there means GDP per head is £10,000 less than the UK. Watch moment Nigel Farage makes back door exit as Reform UK leader dodges protesters in Scotland 1
Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Nigel Farage to mine south Wales for votes
Nigel Farage will promise to resume coal mining in south Wales as he seeks to leave behind a week of turbulence for his party and outflank Labour in another traditional heartland. After Zia Yusuf quit as Reform UK chairman only to return two days later, Farage is preparing to deploy him on a tour of the airwaves as a 'cabinet minister in waiting'. A more traditional party chairman who will rally a rapidly growing membership is expected to be appointed on Tuesday. Reform UK won more than a quarter of the vote in the Scottish parliamentary by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse last week. Now Farage will seek to open a new front against Labour with a pledge to 're-industrialise Wales' and win over a working class base he will claim has been abandoned by Sir Keir Starmer. He will try to harness a 'patriotic' vote as Reform attempts to take control of the Senedd from Labour in next year's elections. In a speech on Monday, he will promise to reopen some of south Wales's coal mines to keep Port Talbot steelworks operational. The pledge will stop short of a mass re-opening of pits, but Farage will argue that Port Talbot, which closed last year, will never successfully convert to electric arc furnaces and that firing it with locally-mined coal is the 'only option' if production is to remain in Wales. He will promise to keep more 'factory floor' jobs in Wales by channelling subsidies to traditional industries that have declined over the past generation. While Reform continues to top the polls Farage is likely to face questions about the party's readiness for power. Yusuf's abrupt resignation was a result of tensions between some staffers and a row about banning the burqa. ISABEL INFANTES/REUTERS Richard Tice, Farage's deputy, said Yusuf 'had a two-day holiday and he's back raring to go'. He said Yusuf had 'received horrendous online abuse, which was just appalling' and that the torrent of racism on social media 'does take its toll'. Tice said the party was now 'splitting up a number of different activities', with a head of operations and a finance chief to help the treasurer. Nick Candy, the property magnate, will take over Yusuf's previous workload. 'Zia Yusuf has done a brilliant job in growing the party, creating huge infrastructure — over 400 branches — but it's a massive job and as we were growing incredibly fast, essentially that job was too much for one person, so we're reorganising,' Tice said. As well as leading Reform's ' Doge department ' fighting government waste, Farage said Yusuf would 'assist the party with policy, fundraising and media appearances'. It is understood that Farage wants to present Yusuf as a potential cabinet minister in a future Reform government as the party seeks to show it can offer a credible alternative. The party is seeking to recruit other outsiders to present to voters as potential future ministers. Farage says that Reform is now a 'party of government' and is focusing on taking power in Cardiff next year and establishing a presence in Scotland. It will then aim to set out a plausible alternative government. The party's policy platform has been criticised as wildly unrealistic. Tice dismissed that as 'absolute nonsense' and said Reform's promises of tax cuts and spending increases were affordable because 'there's so much waste' in government. 'We're the only people talking about how the Bank of the England should stop wasting tens of billions of pounds, we're the only people saying you should scrap net stupid zero, and that would save £20-30 billion a year, and we're the only people saying, actually, we should stop wasting taxpayers' cash,' he told the BBC.
