Electric furnace a new era for future of Welsh industry

In this opinion piece to mark the start of work on Port Talbot's new electric arc furnace, Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlines his government's commitment to a working Wales

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I LOOKED the workers and apprentices at Port Talbot in the eye and promised them my government would secure their future.

This week we are doing exactly that, as shovels get in the ground to build the new electric arc furnace.

We're backing Tata Steel with £500m.

Five thousand jobs have been secured. And our upcoming Steel Strategy will be backed by up to £2.5bn in investment to create good jobs and produce clean steel in Wales.

This marks a new era for the future of Welsh industry.

I know the last few years have been difficult for many in Port Talbot.

The Tories’ failure to secure a deal with Tata which put worker protection first has caused painful uncertainty for steelworkers, their families and many local businesses.

When we entered government we made sure that we negotiated a better deal for Port Talbot.

We fully funded the £80m transition board that the Tories had left unfunded, and we put that money to work supporting workers to re-skill, retrain and open their own businesses.

This week we have ended the uncertainty imposed upon the town by the Tories.