Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:55 pm on 17 November 2020.
History has taught us as well, hasn't it, First Minister, that we cannot rely on Westminster to solve Wales's economic problems. Indeed, to reverse the Prime Minister's logic, it is because Westminster has proven so disastrous to Wales that this Senedd exists. So, now is the time to show the difference that having our own Government can make, by bringing forward a counter proposal to protect jobs and livelihoods in Port Talbot and the surrounding area, including the protection of primary steel making.
The UK Government is reportedly being asked to part-nationalise the company. Isn't it even more important that the Welsh Government takes a stake in a company that is overwhelmingly Wales based in terms of its workforce, so that those workers and their communities have a seat at the table? Can you confirm that you would be prepared to do so? And, can you confirm that you are also developing a fully fledged alternative strategy for Port Talbot, based around maintaining the works in their current configuration in the short to medium term, investing in the development of hydrogen based steel production in Wales, and ensuring that the Port Talbot works is converted to use the new technology to produce carbon-neutral steel by 2035?