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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Labour sticks to £3bn for steel despite green U-turn | Labour sticks to £3bn for steel despite green U-turn |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Labour says it remains committed to a £3bn fund for the steel industry, despite ditching its flagship £28bn green investment pledge. | Labour says it remains committed to a £3bn fund for the steel industry, despite ditching its flagship £28bn green investment pledge. |
| Announced in 2021, the green programme had been a key part of Labour's plans to reach climate targets. | Announced in 2021, the green programme had been a key part of Labour's plans to reach climate targets. |
| Frontbencher Nia Griffith said the green steel fund pledge is "definitely being kept". | Frontbencher Nia Griffith said the green steel fund pledge is "definitely being kept". |
| The party has promised the cash to find an alternative to Tata Steel's plans to close Port Talbot's blast furnaces. | The party has promised the cash to find an alternative to Tata Steel's plans to close Port Talbot's blast furnaces. |
| Labour's plan to spend £2.5bn on steel, if it wins power at the general election, was later confirmed by the party, despite leader Sir Keir Starmer scaling back his green plans. | |
| The £3bn figure for steel is reached once £500m towards a new electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, pledged by UK Conservative ministers, is included. | |
| But that proposal for the south Wales plant means the loss of 2,800 jobs and Labour figures have appealed for the UK government and Tata Steel not to take irreversible decisions before a general election. | |
| Labour is also concerned at the loss of the ability to make steel from scratch at the site, as the arc furnace will be fed by scrap metal. | |
| It is intended to help the industry move to greener forms of steel making, and it is argued, prevent even higher numbers of well paid jobs disappearing. | |
| Tata Steel open to more investment in Port Talbot | Tata Steel open to more investment in Port Talbot |
| Tata Steel says it has lost £160m in three months | Tata Steel says it has lost £160m in three months |
| Tata has said it is open to further investment in the plant, but at the Senedd on Wednesday the boss of Tata Steel UK said there was "no way" the blast furnaces at Port Talbot could have been kept. | Tata has said it is open to further investment in the plant, but at the Senedd on Wednesday the boss of Tata Steel UK said there was "no way" the blast furnaces at Port Talbot could have been kept. |
| The company has said it has lost £160m in recent months. | The company has said it has lost £160m in recent months. |
| Shadow trade minister and Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said: "We know exactly where we're going on that [£3bn clean steel fund]. That is definitely being kept." | Shadow trade minister and Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said: "We know exactly where we're going on that [£3bn clean steel fund]. That is definitely being kept." |
| She added: "We've got a very clear commitment on that." | She added: "We've got a very clear commitment on that." |
| Later, Sir Keir said Labour was still committed to net zero energy production by 2030, that the party's green investment plans announced so far will stay but that a plan to help people better insulate their homes will be scaled back. | |
| Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of steelworkers union Community welcome the announcement that "Labour will secure the £3bn needed to greenify and rebuild our steel industry". | |
| Sir Kier had "contacted me today to assure it would be delivered within the first parliament of a Labour government", he added. | |
| But, criticising the Welsh Labour government, Tory Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies said: "Labour, who haven't put a penny on the table to prevent job losses at Port Talbot, cannot be trusted to back out steelworkers. "How can our steelworkers be sure that Keir Starmer will not flip flop again, leaving them high and dry?" | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Wales | Wales |
| Steel industry | Steel industry |
| Welsh Labour | Welsh Labour |
| Port Talbot | Port Talbot |