Farage to pledge to ‘reopen’ Port Talbot steelworks
Emily Price
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will visit Port Talbot today where he will pledge to “reopen” the Tata Steel plant if his party wins the next Senedd election.
The largest steelmaking plant in the UK is currently still open and employing over 2,500 people.
The company ended traditional steelmaking in September 2024, with the closure of its last blast furnace.
Work is now progressing to fit a greener electric arc furnace which will use UK-sourced scrap steel – becoming fully operational by 2028.
The transition will lead to nearly 2,800 job losses and will cost £1.25bn – £500m of which will paid by the UK Government.
Plaid Cymru and the Green Party called for the plant to be nationalised to save the jobs – but the former Conservative UK Government ruled out the possibility.
‘Failure’
Tata will be at the centre of Farage’s first major speech ahead of the 2026 Senedd election on Monday (June 9) when he will outline Reform’s “long term ambition” to reopen the Port Talbot site.
Although the Clacton MP will admit “it won’t be quick or easy”.
Industry sources say that more than two million tons of steel continue to be produced at Port Talbot, using steel slabs imported from the Netherlands and India.
In addition, they point out it would not be possible to reopen the blast furnaces which have been decommissioned.
New blast furnaces would have to be built from scratch at a cost of between £2-3 billion.
An industry source said: “This is pure populism from Farage. We know he has his eye on Wales in next year’s election.
“It is ridiculous to suggest that the Welsh Government would have the billions available to pay for new blast furnaces.”
‘Hearts’
Reform is aiming to become the party in power at next year’s election in Wales after “Labour’s 26 years of failure”.
A party source said Farage is hoping to “tap into the hearts and minds of a deeply patriotic nation that feels betrayed and forgotten by Labour” during his visit to south Wales.
He will focus part of the speech on the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s treatment Wales since winning the general election.
A Reform source said: “Of course for years Welsh Labour blamed all issues on the tories in Westminster, now their excuse is gone and the game is up for them.
“Scotland last week has confirmed to us that can win in Wales. We actually believe we are nearly or are the largest party in wales in terms of members – we have 12,000 in Wales.
“We are the main challenger to Labour in Wales. A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Labour.”
‘Mirage’
Leader of the Senedd Tories Darren Millar says Farage’s “empty and un-costed promises” are nothing more than a “mirage”.
He said: “The people of Port Talbot won’t be taken for fools.
“The previous UK Conservative Government saved thousands of jobs at Port Talbot with a £500m package to help the plant transition to an electric arc furnace, Reform is now sabotaging that plan and putting jobs at risk.
“The Welsh Conservatives are the only party that offers a credible alternative to the failing Labour Government in Wales.”
Last month a Senedd election voting intention poll showed that Labour support was collapsing with Plaid Cymru and Reform battling to be the biggest party in Wales.
The Barn Cymru poll put Plaid Cymru in the lead with 30% of the vote – 12 points ahead of Labour on 18% and five points ahead of Reform UK on 25%.
Farage has said he would be willing to work with any other party to form a government in Wales in 2026.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds says Farage had “some real cheek” to come to Port Talbot and “promise them the world”.
She said: “Like his idols, Donald Trump and Liz Truss, Nigel Farage would wreck the Welsh economy and local services with unfunded tax cuts and the hollowing out of public services.
“I understand that a lot of people are frustrated that they have been let down by Labour in Wales and the Conservatives across the entire UK, but it’s the Liberal Democrats who are offering real change, not Reform.
“We are passionate local campaigners focused on getting you swift access to local healthcare and ensuring that schools are safe places for our kids.”
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To reopen the heavy end at port Talbot would cost somewhere in the region of £3 billion. Why then would you use Welsh coal when it’s cheaper coming from overseas. Also you wouldn’t be allowed to export steel to the EU as it’s made in an high CO2 way.
Hopefully the good people of PT will see through his bull.
Farage thinks we will all be happy down the pit again. Well there is only one possible place for a mine to reach coking coal and that is at Margam out under Swansea Bay. One problem a totally uneconomic investment. So £3 billion for a new blast furnace, another Billion £ for a new mine, and wages at the top end make it all too expensive when you can ship it in at far lower cost.
If it is not renamed Port Calon Lân nobody will be doing anything there. That land does not belong to them and the idea that you are redeeming Wales with a health deleterious poorly paid form of slavery. Coming from the people who lied about my male line dissapearing in 1721 , sadly marrying a relative of mine and by 1728 being The outright champion and legal authority for the legalization and ethically and morally judged correctness of said detectable abhorrent thought. That land does not belong to you, you will in the twinkling of an eye they say lose… Read more »
Correction
****Talbots took our spot as secretary of state or equivalent and they outright championed a determination of what they judged to be ethically morally correct. A detestable and abhorrent thought. I edited this and was told it was not editable.
“Reopen the Tata Steel plant”. How can you reopen something that isn’t shut? Either the author or Reform are totally misguided on this – I suspect it is the London-based party, to be fair to the author. Farage will get his usual obsequious media attention today with his empty promises and smoke and mirrors routine but the people of Port Talbot, like the rest of Cymru, will hopefully see right through him.
And the next day he plans to turn gold into lead. Absolute donkey.
Come on, stop feeding this stain on humanity.
Their maths is woeful.
How is his best mate in the US doing? The one turning the army out to shoot civilians?
Poster Boy…
Promises, promises. Where’s Reform’s Welsh Leader?
How does he propose to achieve re-opening the plant, given that the site is in private ownership? Surely this tribune of the right isn’t suggesting nationalization!!
Unfortunately he will successfully tap into the anti labour sentiment festering in Port Talbot. People believe anything anyway. Just look at Los Angeles. No one to talking about the Trump/Musk feud anymore.
Bet you the HS2 £4bn the UK media won’t mention that the Greens and Plaid were calling for the plant to be nationalised to save the jobs.
Trouble is, because of Farage’s pet project (Brexit), UK steel exports to the EU will now face additional import costs from 1st January due to the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism). If Tata continues producing steel in the way he suggests, there will be a significant price differential between EU-produced steel and UK steel (I am assuming he means reopen blast furnaces). As a result, demand will drop off, since UK steel simply won’t be price competitive. Espeically, Tata as faces direct competition from within Europe, particularly in building roof cladding, as well as packaging, and if I’m not mistaken,… Read more »
I hear he has also promised to stop people being nasty, end world hunger and give every little girl her very own unicorn.
What a lovely story.
And like his hero Trump promise world peace in 24 hours.
Let’s not forget that it was his “Global Britain” project that sent steel jobs to India.
The man who insisted that leaving the EU would save the UK steel industry is now promising to save it from the impacts of the Brexit that he championed. His grift knows no bounds.
So Farage stirs the pot with stupid promises but where are the other parties who have been around a lot longer ? By now after 26 years of rhetoric and downright indolence we still have no clear sense of direction from a series of Bay regimes or their masters in Westminster. Clutching at straws and wondering where all that grant aid and other supporting funds went is not a good look. Our opposition parties are a sad mix of outright idealism on the one hand and colonial subservience on the other. Doesn’t any of them have a sense of duty… Read more »
Sense of duty other than to themselves and kin…since when most of the finger pointing is Twmp world long term guilt avoidance and careerism, we can point too, but try and get it printed…
Who is going to be Farage’s press office ? what’s Guto doing, are there any other names in the hat…
Politicians will promise anything to get into power ….. until the time comes for action. This guy couldn’t give a hoot about Cymru.
He’s also pledged to ensure that all social housing in Wales goes to ‘locals’. Make of that what you will. Answer: He apparently means anyone not born in the UK…
Will he reopen Clacton?
Sounds like nationalisation to me?
Stan Robinson, Voice of Wales, and his rusted blade will be made joint CEOs of the new operation! Dan Morgan Voice of Wales will be made CFO!
Nigel Farage’s pledge to “reopen” the Port Talbot blast furnaces may sound bold, but it’s not a serious plan — it’s a populist soundbite with no grounding in economic reality. The furnaces were decommissioned in 2024, and industry experts have made it clear: they cannot simply be turned back on. Rebuilding them from scratch would cost up to £3 billion — far beyond the means of the Welsh Government or any vague “ambition” from Reform UK. Port Talbot is still producing steel today, using imported slabs. What Farage offers is nostalgia, not strategy. What Farage also fails to mention is… Read more »
This statement is just like his TV station – only for subscribers to lies.
Two false statements in this presentation, child poverty and unemployment are not the worst in the UK as he stated.
One more: Wales doesn’t have the worst GCSE results in the whole of the UK. Last summer 19.2% entries were awarded A/7 and above, which is higher than five regions in England.
Could have offered to develop a hydrogen blast furnace and make Swansea Uni a leading research institution on the tech … but no, he went for the nostalgic snake oil sales pitch. Twll din.
At least he admitted that Cardiff Bay’s hands are tied by Westminster in terms of big changes like building new blast furnaces. If hands are tied for steel, they’re tied for all major economic improvements. So even Nige agrees it’s all Westminster’s fault.
A man who hates governments existence, would rip it to shreds if gained power, would spend taxpayers money against his belief. Only the stupid believe a word this grifter ex casino banker says.
It’s not only incredibly scary that Reform disrespect our country’s culture enough to stand in Wales, its incredibly scary that there are enough gullible people to believe such an obvious liar.
A fly-by-night character.
Farage is cloud cuckoo land. What next? Welsh children being put up chimneys. Taking pit ponies down the mines on a 16 hour shift with a reward of black lung. More s**g heaps to damage our beautiful countryside that will eventually slide down creating another Aberfan. May I remind Farage that when Wales was the equivalent of an oil rich state were gang raped of our resources by Whitehall when they sold Wales to the highest bidder and we didn’t benefit one iota. Look around you. Can you see the skyscrapers. The vast estates built. No. Those coal mining areas… Read more »
Love the comments. If someone, anyone, suggested what Farage has suggested, you’d all probably be ecstatic. Steel should not be exported, not I’m this current political climate. As for coal? Why not mine it? Contrary to popular (albeit stupid) belief, the days of going down a pit with a pick and shovel are long-gone. Open-cast mining is far more effective and safer. What else are people going to do? A country without heavy industry is a poor country. Don’t believe me? Look out your front door, tell me what you see?
Deep mining would not necessarily be a labour intensive activity any more. Use of robotic and other remotely controlled heavy cutting gear and material handling would reduce the need for manpower at the coal face, possibly as low as inspections and maintenance with kit withdrawn to a safer working area. Apart from coal and steel there are a number of other “heavy” industries that have been or could be revolutionised by smart use of advanced technologies. However successive governments and other influencers have brainwashed a large segment of UK population with a prejudice against such industry. Happy to let China… Read more »
Let’s be realistic, the proposed electric arc furnace is also not economically feasible given the ridiculous/uncompetitive high cost of energy (in particular, electricity) in the UK. It will prove uneconomical at birth absent massive government subsidies. It is doomed to fail.