A REPORT warning that up to 9,500 jobs could be lost shows why Tata’s plans to close the Port Talbot blast furnaces must be stopped, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has said.

Last week, Tata Steel confirmed it will proceed with its £1.25 billion investment in an electric arc furnace on the Port Talbot site and close its two blast furnaces later this year, rejecting an alternative put forward by unions and resulting in 2,800 job losses.

Responding to a transition board report warning that the plans could result in up to 9,500 jobs being lost across the wider economy, Ms Graham said it underlines the “devastating impact on Port Talbot and the regional economy” the plans would have.