Nigel Farage on 20mph, coal mining and steel, as he explains vision for future for Wales
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Reform UK leader NIgel Farage has spoken about his vision for the future of Wales, at a press conference today. He took to the stage just after 12pm in Port Talbot, with less than a year until the Senedd elections.
His introduction had to be hastily rewritten given the UK Government's announcement, which went live at noon, that the winter fuel payment cuts are being partially reversed. Mr Farage said that Labour "knowing this press conference was taking place", announced they would make a fuel payment announcement at noon, as he was due to speak, but called it a "step in the right direction".
He also announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK, as they also took to the stage to explain how they had become disillusioned and moved to Reform.
The most recent poll for Wales suggests his party is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%, reports Wales Online.
In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks".
The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change.
The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off.
Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale".
Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade".
(Image: Getty Images)
The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary".
It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges.
During the press conference Mr Farage also took aim at the controversial 20mph policy, saying he would reverse it. as he said he doubted the electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot Tata site would "every be switched on", but says their plan is to "reindustrialise Wales". He says in the coming years more steel will be needed and the UK should produce its own steel, and its own coal.
"I'm not saying let's open all the pits, there are certain types of coal for certain types of uses, for the blast furnaces, we can use here," Mr Farage said, insisting it would be a small scale, specific mining and not like the "heydays of mining in Wales". Mr Farage also said there would be no going back on devolution, but criticised the running of Wales since.
In response, a Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage has no plans for steel - just a camera crew. You can't restart a blast furnace with a press conference.
"Nigel Farage says that hopefully they mightthey'll bring back mining. The people of Wales will see through the false hope and false promises of a public-school boy from England who does not understand them and does not understand Wales.
"His answer is to bring back the mines. The only thing Nigel Farage is trying to mine is votes from communities that have already gone through tough times. Nigel Farage has today brought his fantasy politics and magic money tree to Port Talbot. He's gambling with real people's livelihoods."
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