Reform leader eyes Senedd victory as critics blast ‘fantasy economics’

NIGEL FARAGE visited Port Talbot on Monday (June 10), promising to reopen the town’s steel blast furnaces and revive Welsh coal mines if Reform UK wins the next Senedd election.

Speaking shortly after noon, Farage placed traditional steel-making at the heart of Reform UK’s 2026 campaign in Wales, claiming the town had been “betrayed by 26 years of Labour rule.”

“Our long-term aim is to hopefully reopen Port Talbot steelworks—and instead of importing coal for it, use our own,” Farage told The Mail ahead of his speech.
“Wales needs Reform.”

The plan, which includes reopening domestic coal pits to fuel the blast furnaces, comes after Indian-owned Tata Steel confirmed plans to close both blast furnaces at the Port Talbot plant. The company is shifting to a lower-emission electric arc furnace, but this will not be operational until 2028 and will produce less steel overall—prompting warnings of up to 2,800 job losses.

Farage framed the proposal as an economic rescue mission and a patriotic industrial policy, aiming to outflank Labour on its traditional turf. His speech marks the latest escalation in Reform’s ambition to challenge for power at the 2026 Senedd election, with polls already placing the party above Labour in some regions.

But the proposal drew immediate fire from opposition politicians.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS accused Farage of peddling fantasy politics while ignoring international realities.

“Nigel Farage has some real cheek to come to Port Talbot and promise them the world while his best mate Donald Trump is threatening to destroy the remnants of our steel industry, with yet more tariffs at the end of this month,” 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.”

Dodds said that while many voters feel abandoned by both Labour in Cardiff and the Conservatives in Westminster, it is the Liberal Democrats who offer realistic local change, especially in health and education.

“In a recent by-election in Neath Port Talbot, we easily beat Reform and pushed Labour into fourth place,” she added. “Industrial heartlands aren’t buying what Reform is selling.”

Nigel Farage’s calls for Port Talbot’s blast furnaces to be reopened are ‘more lies from an opportunistic chancer’, GMB union has said.

Ruth Brady, GMB Regional Secretary, told The Pembrokeshire Herald in a sharply worded statement exactly what he thought of the plan: “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. 

“The deal to shut the blast furnaces was signed and sealed by the last Tory government.

“With the opportunities offered by floating offshore wind and the industrial clusters strategy, it’s now time for the Labour government to make good on their promises to our members in Port Talbot.

“We’ll be watching the spending review this week closely.”

Farage’s visit comes just days after party turmoil saw Zia Yusuf resign as Reform chairman, only to return two days later in a redefined leadership role. Monday’s rally was seen as an attempt by Farage to reset the campaign and reassert his party’s direction.

The promise to reopen coal mines will be controversial in Wales, where the last deep coal mine closed in 2008, and the environmental legacy of mining remains raw in many communities. Environmental campaigners have previously warned that such proposals ignore climate commitments and the long-term shift to greener energy.

However, supporters at the rally welcomed the focus on jobs and national self-reliance. Local resident Martin Davies, 58, told The Herald: “We’ve had enough of broken promises. If someone’s talking about proper work and not just cutting back all the time, I’ll listen.”

Farage ended his speech by warning voters not to let “the political establishment shut Wales down from the inside out,” and said Reform would “bring energy, jobs and pride back to this country.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

Coal comeback: Nigel Farage delivers a speech in Port Talbot promising to revive steel and mining if Reform wins in 2026 (Pic: Farage/Reform/X)