UK gov accused of double standards over Scunthorpe and Port Talbot

Local TV

MPs in Westminster have accused the UK government of double standards, after recalling parliament in an attempt to nationalise Scunthorpe’s steelworks. Port Talbot, which was the UK’s largest steelworking plant lost thousands of jobs last year, when nationalisation was called ‘a pipe dream’ by the First Minister.

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00:00Port Talbot steelworks lost thousands of jobs last year due to ramping down of steel production at

00:08the site. A total of 2,800 staff members were made redundant as part of a restructuring which

00:13includes a greener form of steel production which will start at some point in the future.

00:17Port Talbot was the UK's largest steelworks but suffered a fate that many worried could happen

00:23to more steel making facilities across the UK. A most recent example though has taken a different

00:28storyline to that in Port Talbot with the UK government recalling Parliament in an attempt

00:33to nationalise the site and continue steel production in Scunthorpe. This has led many

00:37politicians in Wales question why it was possible for Scunthorpe but not for Port Talbot.

00:44A number of opposition politicians in Westminster have accused the UK government of double standards.

00:49Liz Saville-Roberts, an often outspoken Plaid Cymru MP, said her party believes that Port Talbot could

00:55and should have received equal treatment alongside Gunthorpe and said that the measures they're

00:59debating in Parliament would have been able to be used to save the blast furnaces at Tata steel in

01:04Wales. The UK government's business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the Commons the Port Talbot deal

01:11was negotiated by the previous Conservative government so it was out of their hands but argues they did

01:16negotiate a better deal. He said that as a result of that Port Talbot is in a stronger position than

01:21British steel because it has a long-term future in place. There are obvious differences between the

01:27two huge steel working plants with different challenges and deals in place but with so much

01:32emphasis going into saving Scunthorpe and a real lack in Port Talbot people will be questioning the

01:37fairness between the Welsh and English steel industries. Jane Peach Watkins reporting for Local TV.

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