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.
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 last year, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place.
“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.”
The Reform leader said “specific types of coal” are needed in the UK, particularly for a new blast furnace.
“We should be producing ourselves, rather than importing,” he said.
While he acknowledged “mining is dangerous”, he said the industry could provide well-paying jobs.
Mr Farage 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 re-open 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.
“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 upsetGMB 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 aleader 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”.
