Emergency bill to save Scunthorpe reignites anger over Port Talbot closure

WELSH politicians from across the political spectrum have accused the UK government of double standards, after emergency legislation was passed to protect a steelworks in England—while similar calls for support in Port Talbot were ignored.

The backlash follows the passing of a bill in Westminster aimed at saving the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, where the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces are under threat. In contrast, Port Talbot’s blast furnaces were shut down in September 2024 with the loss of 2,800 jobs—without any such intervention.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts told Parliament: “Scunthorpe gets security. Port Talbot gets a pittance.”

She said the same emergency powers now being used to protect jobs in England could have been used to save blast furnace steelmaking in Wales, calling the lack of action for Port Talbot a “bitter, bitter disappointment.”

‘Wales treated as second-class’

The Port Talbot site is now transitioning to electric arc furnace technology, with a new plant expected by 2027. While this is seen as a move toward greener steel production, the method requires fewer workers—leading to widespread concern about long-term job losses and economic decline.

Plaid MS Luke Fletcher said Welsh steelworkers were promised support if Labour won power at both Westminster and the Senedd—but the final outcome looked very similar to what the Conservative government had already put forward.

Welsh Conservative MS Darren Millar said the UK Parliament should have recalled the Senedd during the Port Talbot crisis, just as it acted swiftly for Scunthorpe. “When crisis hits Wales, it’s tolerated. When it hits elsewhere, it becomes a national emergency,” he said.

Liberal Democrats: ‘Salt in the wound’

David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said the decision to step in now for Scunthorpe while Port Talbot was left to suffer had enraged his constituents.

“It’s rubbing salt in the wound to now hear the government call primary steelmaking a strategic national asset—months after letting our own furnaces go cold,” he said.

“My grandfather worked the blast furnaces at Port Talbot. He would be heartbroken to see this level of inaction for Welsh workers.”

UK government defends its stance

Ministers have defended the difference in approach, arguing that the two sites face different circumstances.

Industry Minister Sarah Jones said the Labour government inherited a deal with Tata Steel that it could not reopen but improved upon. “There was a private investor willing to move forward in Port Talbot. That’s not the case in Scunthorpe,” she said.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds added that Scunthorpe is the last site in the UK still producing virgin steel, making it strategically vital. “This is about national resilience. The world is changing, and we need the capability to produce primary steel for defence and key infrastructure.”

Still, for many in Wales, the damage is done.

One Port Talbot resident told The Herald: “It’s clear now. If this was happening in the South East of England, it would have been called a national crisis. But because it’s happening in Wales, it’s business as usual.”

A HAVERFORDWEST man is set to face trial later this year after denying multiple allegations of assault and strangulation involving the same woman.

James Jeffrey, aged 41, of Hill Street, appeared in court charged with six separate offences said to have taken place in Pembrokeshire.

He is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on June 30 last year, and of battery on December 29.

Further charges relate to an alleged strangulation and another assault causing actual bodily harm between January 15 and March 10 this year.

Jeffrey also faces allegations of criminal damage and a third count of actual bodily harm, both said to have taken place on March 8. The criminal damage charge relates to the woman’s mobile phone.

He pleaded not guilty to all six charges.

Judge Geraint Walters listed the case for trial on October 27. It is expected to last four days. Jeffrey was granted bail until then.

MAGICAL madrigal memories will linger long after Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir hosted a visiting youth choir from the United States at Pembroke Town Hall on Monday (April 7).

The 50-strong Mountain View High School Madrigals from California — aged 14 to 18 — wowed the audience with their exquisite close harmonies, delivering an unaccompanied performance from their wide-ranging repertoire.

In a touching tribute to their hosts, the young American singers performed a note-perfect rendition of the Welsh classic Myfanwy, before joining the Pembroke choristers in a moving version of Calon Lân.

The local choir, under the baton of Musical Director Juliet Rossiter, responded with a trio of songs: African Prayer, World in Union, and, fittingly, Elvis Presley’s American Trilogy. Accompanist for the evening was Rev William Lambert, with Matthew John acting as MC.

Pembroke’s Town Crier, Gareth Jones, welcomed the visitors with his trademark booming voice, and the Mayor of Pembroke, Councillor Ann Mortesen, presented a town crest to the visiting choir’s musical director, Jill Kenny. Choir chairman Huw Morgan also presented a commemorative plaque, noting that in the choir’s 72-year history, this was believed to be the first joint performance with an American choir.

Earlier in the day, the Mountain View Madrigals had toured Pembroke Castle before travelling to St Davids, where they gave a performance in the Cathedral. The group spent two nights in Pembrokeshire, staying at a hotel in Tenby.

Thanks were extended to Choir Secretary Dave Powell, Gareth Morgan, and the Pembroke Town Hall team for their efforts in organising the memorable visit.