Keir Starmer says he has 'great concerns' over Tata Steel during first visit to Wales as PM
Sir Keir Starmer has said he has "great concerns" over the future of Tata Steel during his visit to the Senedd on Monday.
Sir Keir Starmer said he has "great concerns" over the future of Tata Steel in Port Talbot as he met with the Welsh First Minister in the final stop on his tour of the devolved nations.
The new Prime Minister visited Vaughan Gething and newly appointed Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens at the Senedd in Cardiff in Cardiff Bay on Monday.
The trip follows visits to the other devolved nations, having stopped in Belfast earlier that day and Scotland on Sunday.
Sir Keir arrived at the Welsh Parliament having promised an “immediate reset” of the relationship between the Westminster Government and devolved nations.
It also comes amid concerns about job losses at the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, where 1,900 jobs are at risk. A total of 2,800 jobs are at risk across the UK within three years.
During his visit, Sir Keir said: "Here in Wales it's particularly important because what I said before the election is that a Labour government would be a game changer because you'd have a UK Government working with the Welsh Government delivering for Wales.
"Rather than the conflict that I think we've seen too much of over the last fourteen years.
"This is an early recommitment to what I said in the campaign to come here physically on the third day to have discussions with the First Minister about the long term objectives.
"And of course about some of the pressing issues including Tata steel which is of great concern to me, to the First Minister and to so many people here in Wales."
The Labour governments in Wales and Westminster are pushing Tata not to pursue any compulsory redundancies, with promises of extra funding for the steel industry in the UK.
A day before the Prime Minister's comments, the Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens told ITV News that her government wanted Tata Steel to "look again" at the date for closing the second blast furnace in Port Talbot.
One blast furnace has already closed and the second is due to shut in September. It is part of the site's transition to a greener way of producing steel but will mean the loss of nearly 3,000 jobs.
Ms Stevens added: "We want that transition to clean green steel to happen in a way that as many jobs as possible are protected."
She also said she wants to discuss investment in the future of steel production and new technology, with Tata.
Following the general election, Tata Steel UK CEO Rajesh Nair said he looked forward to talks with the new UK Government.
He said: "I congratulate Sir Keir Starmer on his election victory and look forward to working with the new government on our shared goals of growing the production of green steel in the UK, and building a positive operating environment for this critical industry.
"In the coming days and weeks we will be engaging with new ministers over our ambitious plans to invest in and transform Port Talbot with electric arc furnace steelmaking, and to supporting our workers through this necessary but difficult transition."
Announcing his UK tour, Sir Keir said his landslide victory in the General Election has given Labour “a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom”.
Labour emerged from last week’s elections as the largest party in Wales in Westminster, with the Conservatives wiped out for the first time since 2001.
Ahead of the visit, Sir Keir described Wales as having “enormous untapped potential ready to be unleashed”.
He said: “Working in lockstep with the Welsh Government and Vaughan, my government will place the people and communities of Wales front and centre as we move towards a decade of national renewal.
“That means turning the page on years of economic hardship, towards genuine shared prosperity for working people, so they see and feel real tangible change in their lives.”
Sir Keir campaigned alongside the embattled First Minister during the General Election.
Mr Gething has faced calls to quit after he lost a no-confidence vote last month.
It came following the collapse of the co-operation deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru and a series of rows involving Mr Gething and donations to his leadership campaign from a man who has been convicted of environmental offences.
His party has been forced to defend Mr Gething’s continued presence in the top role in Wales, with Kim Howells, a former Pontypridd Labour MP, describing him as “damaged goods” during an interview with BBC Radio Wales on Sunday.
Ms Howells said Labour needs to change the Welsh leader “sooner rather than later” with fears it could impact the party’s chances in the Senedd elections in 2026.
Mr Gething has always insisted that he has broken no rules and the new Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens, said he has her “complete support”.
Ahead of Sir Keir’s visit to Wales, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and his party’s four MPs requested a meeting with the PM.
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