STEELWORKERS today welcomed a Labour Party promise to invest £3 billion in Britain’s steel industry in its first parliament.

Steelworkers’ union Community general secretary Roy Rickhuss said: “We welcome the announcement that Labour will secure the £3bn needed to greenify and rebuild our steel industry.

“Sir Keir Starmer contacted me to assure that it would be delivered within the first parliament of a Labour government.”

Earlier in the week, the Welsh Senedd voted unanimously to back the steel industry in South Wales, including the Welsh Conservatives.

Welsh Labour’s motion was agreed by all four parties and said: “The Senedd believes there is a viable future for blast furnace steel making in Wales as part of a just transition that supports a stronger Welsh economy while protecting a British sovereign asset.”

Community has called on Tata Steel to drop its plan to close both blast furnaces at its Port Talbot steelworks and get back around the table to support the credible alternative multi-union plan.

This follows shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds’s meeting with Tata in Mumbai earlier this week.

“Labour backs our plan, Wales backs our plan, steelworkers back our plan. It’s time for Tata to do the same,” Mr Rickhuss said.

“Tata has acknowledged our plan is credible but they rejected it on the basis of affordability. Well, Labour has now assured them that funding will be there,” Mr Rickhuss said.

Tata Steel launched its formal 45-day consultation on its proposals for Port Talbot steelworks last week, but Community has said unions will not be bound by the 45 days and will take as long as they need.