Plaid MS calls on UK to rejoin single market following EU tariff hike
Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Cefin Campbell has urged the UK Government to rejoin the European Union to protect Wales’s steel industry from a new wave of tariffs that he says could “cripple” manufacturers.
The call follows the EU’s announcement that it will match tariffs imposed by former US president Donald Trump, doubling levies on imported steel to 50%. With nearly 80% of UK steel exports destined for the EU, the trade association UK Steel has warned that the move could spark the “biggest crisis” the industry has faced.
Preferential access
Speaking on ITV Cymru Wales’ Sharp End programme, Cefin Campbell MS said the situation was a “direct result of Brexit”, which had stripped the UK of its preferential access to the European market.
“If we were still in the European Union, we would not be paying these tariffs,” he said. “Eighty per cent of our steel exports go to Europe — the biggest trading bloc in the world — and we madly decided to leave it. We’re now paying the price.
“That’s why I would implore Sir Keir Starmer to rejoin the single market and the customs union.”
Labour Senedd Member John Griffiths also expressed concern, warning that the tariff escalation highlighted how vulnerable the UK had become since leaving the EU.
“It is extremely worrying, and I know the Welsh Government is urging the UK Government to seek talks with the European Commission as soon as possible,” he said.
“We’re caught between the United States and the European Union in this tariff war. It just shows one of the real consequences of Brexit.”
‘Vulnerable’
Griffiths, who represents Newport East — home to the Llanwern steelworks — said workers were “feeling very worried and very vulnerable” about the future.
However, Welsh Conservatives rejected claims that Brexit was to blame. Samuel Kurtz MS described suggestions linking the tariffs to the UK’s departure from the EU as “for the birds”, insisting the issue stemmed instead from “Europe’s trade war with Donald Trump’s America”.
Reform UK’s Jason O’Connell went further, blaming “the madness of the drive for net zero” rather than Brexit for the sector’s instability.
The warnings come as steel producers across Wales, including Port Talbot and Llanwern, brace for the potential impact of the EU’s decision — a move industry leaders say could put thousands of jobs at risk unless a trade solution is swiftly reached.
This week’s Sharp End episode is available to view on ITVX here or on YouTube here
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lol! Not going to happen anytime soon, too late I’m afraid
Most steel “produced” in Wales now is coming from steel created elsewhere in world, it is rolled and formed here but not from a steelmaking process in Wales. That in its self caused issues under the source of origin rules for car manufacturers in UK.
The worrying thing for the future of the UK industry is the EU preliminary position on ROO is that only recycled steel sourced from within the EU will be treated as originating from the EU. So UK will need to source steel exclusively from the EU to conform to EU origin rules. Post processing of steel from outside the EU won’t meet ROO thresholds. The future largely depends on if the EU companies can source enough steel from the internal market
What we need is a European Steel Community.
John Griffiths needs to keep up last month TATA made this announcement. As part of its restructure and de-carbonising project.
“Commenting on steel production at its Llanwern site Tata said: “As part of the company’s restructuring announcement, we will be centralising the company’s cold rolling activities in Port Talbot.”
The announcement will likely have consequences for the Zodiac line at Llanwern that relies on cold rolled steel. It will impact workers at site.
Nothing to do with EU
Why are they restructuring? Because Leavers chose to send primary steel jobs to India.
The UK needs the same tariffs as the EU for the same reasons. They are protecting their steel industry, as they have always done. The UK is exposed to China and others dumping the steel Trump’s America doesn’t want.
Evidence that Brexit is an unmitigated disaster is accumulating with 50% EU tariff on steel being just the latest example. In addition, the last opinion poll on Brexit (4/9/2025) shows that 56% of the UK population now disapprove of it with only 31% in support. Over 9 years has elapsed since the Brexit referendum. These figures strongly suggest that a second EU referendum for the UK is overdue.
If we have a 2nd referendum, then what? If it’s ‘yes’ to rejoin, do you think all 27 EU member states will be happy to begin ascension talks, especially with Farage lining up to be the next PM.
There’s most likely not going to be a second referendum aka buyers remorse referendum until extensive discussions with the EU have taken place with the result that the EU confirms it would welcome the UK [if it’s still intact then] and the UK confirms it is willing to join the Euro and Schengen area. I think the EU would be more than happy with that. Brexiters not but by that time many more will have shuffled off this mortal coil and been replaced with younger voters who see Jacob Reesmogg’s fifty year timescale before the benefits of Brexit appear as… Read more »
It seems reasonable to ask people what kind of Brexit they want. I’m baffled no-one blinked when Johnson decided if the vote meant leaving the economic partnership or just the political union.
“the issue stemmed instead from “Europe’s trade war with Donald Trump’s America”.”
And Britain decided to position itself in no-mans land.