:00:00. > :00:08.Welcome to Wales Today live from Port Talbot.
:00:09. > :00:12.It was much anticipated, but today the official announcement
:00:13. > :00:17.that Tata Steel is cutting 1,000 jobs across the UK -
:00:18. > :00:26.the majority of them here at this steelworks.
:00:27. > :00:32.It's a very difficult day for our employees. However, I believe that
:00:33. > :00:35.this point in time we are taking the necessary action that must be taken
:00:36. > :00:37.to conserve 3500 jobs. How does a community that was built
:00:38. > :00:50.on steel deal with the loss I have a son and a daughter-in-law
:00:51. > :00:56.working in there at the moment and we don't know what's happening. It's
:00:57. > :00:58.terrible. Personally I think Port Talbot will start to die again.
:00:59. > :01:00.Tonight, we'll be speaking live to the First Minister.
:01:01. > :01:04.What can politicians do to influence a global industry?
:01:05. > :01:08.And we'll have the picture from India - the home of Tata
:01:09. > :01:12.headquarters - to find out about the decisions being taken
:01:13. > :01:30.Also on the programme tonight: A deal is struck in a 15-year battle
:01:31. > :01:34.over the future of two reservoirs in Cardiff.
:01:35. > :01:37.And days after appointing Alan Curtis as interim manager,
:01:38. > :01:41.Swansea City bring in a new head coach and he will have the final say
:01:42. > :01:58.Tonight, the community of Port Talbot is coming to terms
:01:59. > :02:01.with the long-expected announcement that Tata is cutting 1,000 steel
:02:02. > :02:07.jobs across the UK, and the majority of them in south Wales.
:02:08. > :02:10.750 jobs to be lost across Port Talbot and Llanwern
:02:11. > :02:16.in Newport - 15 at Trostre in Llanelli.
:02:17. > :02:21.200 more support workers will go, too.
:02:22. > :02:32.It's a question many are asking and politicians arguing about.
:02:33. > :02:34.Our first report tonight is from our business correspondent,
:02:35. > :02:43.Brian Meechan, who has spent much of the day there.
:02:44. > :02:48.After months of speculation the announcement staff at Port Talbot
:02:49. > :02:53.had been anticipating came this morning. One of the unions unveiled
:02:54. > :02:59.a banner in support of jobs. Tata Security had a quickly taken down
:03:00. > :03:02.again. 2-1 still has invested heavily in this site, including this
:03:03. > :03:08.new blast furnace and the company has been patient, but it's losing ?1
:03:09. > :03:11.million a day at this steelworks alone and it hopes by reducing the
:03:12. > :03:17.number of workers here it can start to turn that around. It's the UK's
:03:18. > :03:22.biggest steel plant and its showing the strains of the wider industry.
:03:23. > :03:26.Energy costs and business rates are higher here than in some parts of
:03:27. > :03:32.Europe. The problems have been made worse by Jim imports coming from
:03:33. > :03:38.China. -- cheap imports. Tata hope they can save other jobs. The
:03:39. > :03:44.measures we take, we believe we can turn this industry around, not only
:03:45. > :03:48.for Tata, but also for the UK and the Welsh economy. Are you sure that
:03:49. > :03:53.with the action you're taking today that this secures the future of this
:03:54. > :03:58.plant for decades to come? No, I couldn't say that for a moment.
:03:59. > :04:02.There had been the talk of the UK or Welsh government taking a stake in
:04:03. > :04:08.the site here, an idea completely rejected by the company today. 4000
:04:09. > :04:13.workers and 3000 contract as are employed at Port Talbot in well-paid
:04:14. > :04:18.jobs. It is not ours to give away. We have to try to ensure there is
:04:19. > :04:21.for our children and our children's children. The surrounding
:04:22. > :04:27.communities, the shops, the builders, absolutely knock-on effect
:04:28. > :04:32.is massive. This site uses as much energy as a city the size of Swansea
:04:33. > :04:35.and that means huge bills. The European Commission allowed the UK
:04:36. > :04:41.Government to bring in financial support to ease the burden of high
:04:42. > :04:45.energy users like Tata. Welshman is to say Westminster has been slow to
:04:46. > :04:51.act. We were warning the UK Government years ago about high
:04:52. > :04:55.energy costs. They didn't heed us. They've only he did recently and now
:04:56. > :05:00.something will be coming through, but that's too little too late.
:05:01. > :05:04.Visiting a mosque in Yorkshire, the prime minister argued that his
:05:05. > :05:07.government had taken action. This deal industry has asked us for
:05:08. > :05:11.action on energy prices and we've done that. They've asked us to
:05:12. > :05:15.action on brick during more British Steel and we've taken action. They
:05:16. > :05:19.want us to take action within the European Union and we've done that.
:05:20. > :05:25.We will continue to work with them. I want to have a strong British
:05:26. > :05:31.steel industry. Workers say the announcements have led to huge
:05:32. > :05:35.uncertainty. We don't know. People have gone to meetings and they
:05:36. > :05:39.haven't really been told if they are going not. The company will be
:05:40. > :05:44.hoping these job losses, painful though they are, will be enough to
:05:45. > :05:49.satisfy Indian headquarters that this is a survival plan to secure
:05:50. > :05:52.Port Talbot's future. In the coming weeks will discover whether it's
:05:53. > :05:55.convinced the board of that or if even more will need to be done.
:05:56. > :05:57.Let's talk to the First Minister Carwyn Jones.
:05:58. > :05:59.Many watching tonight's programme will question what exactly can
:06:00. > :06:09.politicians like you do to influence what is a global industry?
:06:10. > :06:15.We have been talking to Tata for some weeks now. Unfortunately
:06:16. > :06:19.nothing could be done in terms of saving these jobs. We are focused on
:06:20. > :06:23.the people affected now. There's a meeting on Wednesday with a view to
:06:24. > :06:27.taking forward plan stout them. You asked about the industry itself.
:06:28. > :06:32.There's a glut of steel on the world market at the moment. It's a problem
:06:33. > :06:35.for the European steel industry. There are two particular factors for
:06:36. > :06:41.the UK. The strength of the pound and the high cost of energy. They
:06:42. > :06:45.are locked within the power of the UK Government to influence. What was
:06:46. > :06:49.in your power to influence was something about business rates and
:06:50. > :06:53.not enough, arguably, was done in enough time. We've only had power
:06:54. > :07:00.over business rates since last April. That's a long time with
:07:01. > :07:04.respect. It's a very small part of the picture. We are talking about
:07:05. > :07:08.the need to make sure we attract hundreds of millions of pounds of
:07:09. > :07:12.investment into this plant. We need to make sure the UK Government does
:07:13. > :07:16.its bit, we do our bit and Europe does its bit. One of the
:07:17. > :07:21.steelworkers said to me to Nike is we need to put some sort of
:07:22. > :07:25.taxation, some steel tariff on imports, like America does. That's
:07:26. > :07:33.what they want to be done. What about that? It's true, in needs to
:07:34. > :07:36.be done on a European level. Your right to point out there's a need to
:07:37. > :07:41.make sure there's a European level. It will happen next month, it should
:07:42. > :07:45.have happened sooner, but there are specific issues in Britain like
:07:46. > :07:48.energy costs that need to be addressed. We've been lobbying the
:07:49. > :07:52.UK Government for four years and they need to do something. When you
:07:53. > :07:58.talk to workers and management they speak as one voice. What many people
:07:59. > :08:01.leaving tonight want to know is politicians and governments from all
:08:02. > :08:06.parties speak with one voice. Can you do that and have you been doing
:08:07. > :08:10.that? Yes. The last thing people want to hear is some kind of
:08:11. > :08:14.political tit for tat. We'll work with UK Government. There are issues
:08:15. > :08:19.we can deal with and they can deal with and some at the European
:08:20. > :08:23.levels. Politics shouldn't interfere. You want us to stay in
:08:24. > :08:28.the EU, you will campaign for that in any referendum. As the EU being
:08:29. > :08:33.good for the steel industry in Wales given this chapter? It has because
:08:34. > :08:46.it's provided a market for steel from Britain. The factors that are
:08:47. > :08:48.not helping the plant at the moment are nothing to do with the EU. The
:08:49. > :08:51.strength of the pound and energy costs for and the glut of steel on
:08:52. > :08:54.the world market. These things need to be tackled soon. Thank you.
:08:55. > :08:56.Just like towns which grew up around coal mines,
:08:57. > :09:01.The works cast a huge shadow over houses for miles in every direction.
:09:02. > :09:04.So how is the community dealing with the news of the job losses
:09:05. > :09:07.and how does it feel about its prospects for the future?
:09:08. > :09:12.Vince Lewis and his family have a strong connection
:09:13. > :09:16.with Port Talbot steelworks that goes back generations.
:09:17. > :09:24.My grandfather, my uncle and my brother was a crane driver there.
:09:25. > :09:32.Over the past few months I've spent time with the family and job losses
:09:33. > :09:35.have always been in the back of their minds and it's
:09:36. > :09:37.had an effect on many of their colleagues.
:09:38. > :09:39.There are people with families, mortgages, children,
:09:40. > :09:42.and it will have a much bigger impact on them.
:09:43. > :09:50.A lot of people depend on the works for their livelihood.
:09:51. > :09:54.It's not only the direct people employed, but there are many others
:09:55. > :10:06.outside of there who need that place to pay the bills.
:10:07. > :10:08.Today after clocking off from his shift, I caught
:10:09. > :10:11.He gave me his reaction to the job cuts.
:10:12. > :10:16.It's a body blow to the local area and a body blow to the
:10:17. > :10:19.It's a lot of jobs, almost a fifth of the workforce.
:10:20. > :10:23.Despite not knowing exactly who will lose their jobs
:10:24. > :10:26.in the coming months, like the Lewis family
:10:27. > :10:29.there is uncertainty all around this town.
:10:30. > :10:32.The Sandfields Estate was built in the 1950s to house steel workers
:10:33. > :10:36.People here told me this latest round of job cuts is devastating.
:10:37. > :10:40.I have a son and a daughter-in-law working in there at the moment so we
:10:41. > :10:53.It will be like a ghost town here if that shuts.
:10:54. > :10:55.There's a lot of people that still work there.
:10:56. > :11:02.Personally I think Port Talbot will start to die again.
:11:03. > :11:04.And of course today's announcement doesn't just concerned those
:11:05. > :11:07.It will have a knock-on effect for many local businesses,
:11:08. > :11:14.some of which are on this industrial estate.
:11:15. > :11:16.From supplying vehicles and tools to filling empty stomachs
:11:17. > :11:17.at lunchtime, almost everyone has a connection.
:11:18. > :11:20.This hydraulics company believes such a significant number of cuts
:11:21. > :11:22.may well have an impact on them down the line.
:11:23. > :11:27.We supply the majority of contractors in there.
:11:28. > :11:32.We are starting to see the effect already.
:11:33. > :11:35.Be interesting to see what happens in the next few months.
:11:36. > :11:39.Many have described it as the lifeblood of this community,
:11:40. > :11:41.by far the biggest employer, it has supported generations
:11:42. > :11:44.of different families and a variety of local businesses.
:11:45. > :11:47.Looking ahead, it is hoped that those most affected will get
:11:48. > :11:52.the support they need at a very difficult time.
:11:53. > :11:55.As families come to terms with the announcement of the job
:11:56. > :11:59.losses across south Wales, ultimately the future of this plant
:12:00. > :12:03.and others lies thousands of miles away in India,
:12:04. > :12:10.with those at the top of the Tata Group.
:12:11. > :12:14.The BBC's India business reporter in Mumbai, Sameer Hashmi,
:12:15. > :12:19.on the changing fortunes of this global operation.
:12:20. > :12:23.Tata is India's biggest conglomerate.
:12:24. > :12:26.It's involved in everything from hotels to cars,
:12:27. > :12:29.tea to telecoms, and that's been going for more than 100 years.
:12:30. > :12:32.Over the past few decades the Tata Group has been expanding
:12:33. > :12:38.It owns Jaguar Land Rover and it was the purchase of UK Steel
:12:39. > :12:43.from Corus in 2007 that made it such a big player in the UK steel market.
:12:44. > :12:47.Tata Steel is one of the group's main businesses.
:12:48. > :12:51.It operates in 26 countries, employing 80,000 people worldwide.
:12:52. > :12:55.But in most of those places it's struggling as global steel prices
:12:56. > :13:00.fall and it has to compete with cheap imports from China.
:13:01. > :13:02.Now the decision about the UK business will be taken
:13:03. > :13:07.Whether or not to go ahead with plans to try and sell its UK
:13:08. > :13:13.And by cutting jobs and therefore costs, that makes it arguably
:13:14. > :13:20.Let's talk to our economics correspondent, Sarah Dickins.
:13:21. > :13:33.How big an issue is the steel being produced in China?
:13:34. > :13:38.It's absolutely massive. It's got more so in the last couple of
:13:39. > :13:43.months. China produces half of this deal made in the whole world and the
:13:44. > :13:48.amount of Chinese steel coming into the UK has doubled in the last year.
:13:49. > :13:52.What makes that even worse is that steel coming in is coming in at a
:13:53. > :13:59.third of the price of Europeans feel. You can imagine the bat and --
:14:00. > :14:04.battle that ten one is having every. There's recently an investigation by
:14:05. > :14:12.the EU. They looked at the prices of Chinese steel coming into Europe and
:14:13. > :14:15.the same Chinese steel going into Canada. The staff selling in Europe
:14:16. > :14:19.was 28% lower. That suggests to observers that the Chinese reducers,
:14:20. > :14:24.mostly state owned, are targeting Europe. This is a difficult day for
:14:25. > :14:29.those hundreds of families affected by this announcement. But perhaps,
:14:30. > :14:33.if we can try and draw some light out of this story, this might be
:14:34. > :14:38.good news in the long run for this plant. Terrible day for everybody
:14:39. > :14:43.working here and particularly those losing their work. It is taking half
:14:44. > :14:51.?1 billion, roughly, out of the Welsh economy. We have to hope that
:14:52. > :14:54.this is enough to save this plant. In Mumbai doesn't think it is, at
:14:55. > :14:57.the moment it's losing ?1 million a day reportedly, if Mumbai doesn't
:14:58. > :15:01.think this is a laugh worst news could come. It's a very painful
:15:02. > :15:04.decision to save it for the future. As happened in the 1980s.
:15:05. > :15:06.Later in the programme - the proud history of steel making
:15:07. > :15:09.in Wales and how today's jobs cuts may play in the forthcoming Assembly
:15:10. > :15:18.First, the rest of today's news with Nicky.
:15:19. > :15:28.It's part of a move to take on 1,000 new staff across the UK
:15:29. > :15:33.The move comes after the company pledged that it will respond to 80%
:15:34. > :15:38.of its customers' calls at UK offices this year.
:15:39. > :15:40.A man has pleaded not guilty to the murder
:15:41. > :15:45.59-year-old Alec Warbuton went missing from his home in Sketty,
:15:46. > :15:48.in Swansea, in July last year, and his body was found
:15:49. > :15:53.40-year-old David Craig Ellis was remanded in custody and is due
:15:54. > :16:00.An outbreak of a sickness bug has led to the rescheduling of some
:16:01. > :16:03.planned surgery at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
:16:04. > :16:07.There are five confirmed cases of norovirus after several people
:16:08. > :16:11.were admitted with diarrhoea and vomiting over the weekend.
:16:12. > :16:14.One ward is affected, and admissions to three others have
:16:15. > :16:19.been suspended to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
:16:20. > :16:22.Two reservoirs in Cardiff that have been the subject of a planning row
:16:23. > :16:25.for more than 15 years will once again be used to supply
:16:26. > :16:31.A previous owner of Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs had
:16:32. > :16:34.controversial plans to build hundreds of homes on the site,
:16:35. > :16:38.Campaigners are now celebrating after Welsh Water
:16:39. > :16:47.The tranquillity of this site belies the furious row that's been raging
:16:48. > :16:51.For decades, this was a local beauty spot for the people
:16:52. > :16:57.But an entrenched planning row began when Western Power Distribution
:16:58. > :17:00.bought it and tried to build more than 300 houses.
:17:01. > :17:03.We have powerful opponents who have invested...
:17:04. > :17:06.Local people were incensed and campaigned against the plans.
:17:07. > :17:09.Today that lengthy battle was finally over following news that
:17:10. > :17:17.We fought for 15 years to try and stop the development and to get
:17:18. > :17:21.We've had three public enquiries and any number
:17:22. > :17:28.It's taken a lot of commitment from a lot of people.
:17:29. > :17:32.I think it really shows the power of people,
:17:33. > :17:34.everybody working together with a very determined end in view.
:17:35. > :17:41.Three years ago, Celsa UK bought the reservoir so they had a secure
:17:42. > :17:43.water supply for the local steelworks.
:17:44. > :17:47.But now Welsh Water's lease ensures the whole city benefits.
:17:48. > :17:50.These reservoirs will help us to secure the water supply
:17:51. > :17:53.to Cardiff and the area for many years to come.
:17:54. > :17:56.Also they're a fantastic site for local nature,
:17:57. > :17:59.for recreation and so on and we're hoping to work with the local
:18:00. > :18:01.community to make the most out of these sites.
:18:02. > :18:05.With more than 40,000 new homes planned for the city by 2026,
:18:06. > :18:08.this is likely to be a vital resource.
:18:09. > :18:10.But local people are just pleased that the water and the wildlife
:18:11. > :18:19.Football, and just days after announcing Alan Curtis
:18:20. > :18:22.as interim manager, Swansea City have tonight appointed a new head
:18:23. > :18:27.coach and HE will have the final say on team selection.
:18:28. > :18:30.The former Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin will work
:18:31. > :18:34.alongside Curtis until the end of the season.
:18:35. > :18:36.The Italian, who's 60, will just watch tonight's
:18:37. > :18:43.He's previously managed clubs in Italy and France.
:18:44. > :18:47.I think Swansea need players in this window to improve things.
:18:48. > :18:50.I think it's all about players' attitude now.
:18:51. > :18:54.I think Alan Curtis has transformed that in the players and anybody that
:18:55. > :18:57.can come and help with a lot of experience has to be a great
:18:58. > :19:01.But it's treacherous times and I think results have got
:19:02. > :19:07.Newport County are also playing Blackburn in their re-arranged third
:19:08. > :19:13.It's live on S4C and we'll bring you the goals from both matches
:19:14. > :19:23.Derek's here, and some dry weather on the way?
:19:24. > :19:30.Yes. Some good news on the weather front. Staying cold but much drier
:19:31. > :19:35.and more settled midweek. Tomorrow generally brighter than today with
:19:36. > :19:39.some sunshine and frost. This evening, cloudy, spots of light rain
:19:40. > :19:43.and drizzle. A little snow on some of the hills and mountains.
:19:44. > :19:48.Overnight most places becoming dry, one or two for patches for and
:19:49. > :19:54.staying above freezing under the cloud. Colder in parts of South and
:19:55. > :19:58.East Wales with Frost. Temperatures close to freezing. The risk of icy
:19:59. > :20:03.patches on untreated roads and a Met Office warning in force. This is the
:20:04. > :20:08.picture for 8am. A cold and frosty start for some of us. I see in
:20:09. > :20:13.places. Some low cloud in the Northeast and Powys, one or two mist
:20:14. > :20:20.and fog badges. Otherwise drier and brighter than today. Dried tomorrow
:20:21. > :20:24.with no rain expected all stop generally much brighter than today.
:20:25. > :20:28.Most places enjoying some sunshine, although parts of the North Anglesey
:20:29. > :20:34.and North East might be a bit cloudy. Gold again tomorrow with
:20:35. > :20:39.temperatures of two to five Celsius in the afternoon. -- told. The wind
:20:40. > :20:47.mostly night. In care Philly tomorrow, drier and sunnier than
:20:48. > :20:53.today. Temperatures struggling. In Gwynedd tomorrow, looking drier and
:20:54. > :20:59.brighter than today. A high of five or six Celsius. Tomorrow night, dry
:21:00. > :21:02.with some low cloud likely in mid and East Wales. Elsewhere the sky
:21:03. > :21:09.clears and that means a widespread frost. A few freezing fog patches as
:21:10. > :21:14.well. Temperatures as low as minus six Celsius. The risk of one or two
:21:15. > :21:19.icy roads. On Wednesday, we still have high pressure in charge sitting
:21:20. > :21:24.over the UK. That's keeping the weather fronts at bay over the
:21:25. > :21:33.Atlantic. Most of the country find on Wednesday with blue sky, but not
:21:34. > :21:41.sunny everywhere. Some places will be great, misty and cold. Only two
:21:42. > :21:45.Celsius in some areas. On Thursday, more dry weather, but probably
:21:46. > :21:51.cloudier. Maybe some sunshine in the north. Breeze picking up in the
:21:52. > :21:58.West. Temperatures are bit higher. Up to eight Celsius. Still quite
:21:59. > :22:02.cold in the north-east. On Friday, that's when things are expected to
:22:03. > :22:07.change. Windy up with a spell of rain clearing to showers and look at
:22:08. > :22:13.those temperatures. Rising back to double figures with milder air from
:22:14. > :22:19.Atlantic. The cold spell coming to an end later this week. Staying very
:22:20. > :22:21.chilly over the next couple of days with some sunshine and frost.
:22:22. > :22:25.Time to return to Jamie, who's live at the Tata steelworks
:22:26. > :22:34.They've been making steel here for decades -
:22:35. > :22:36.the raw material for anything from your washing machine
:22:37. > :22:44.But it's an industry that has seen its fair share of ups and downs
:22:45. > :22:46.Our economics correspondent, Sarah Dickins, looks
:22:47. > :22:52.at the distinguished history of a proud industry.
:22:53. > :23:00.It's fuelled the Welsh economy for more than a century.
:23:01. > :23:02.It's fuelled the Welsh economy for more than half a century.
:23:03. > :23:04.A quality, valuable product made by thousands
:23:05. > :23:09.After the Second World War, Wales was scattered with steel works
:23:10. > :23:13.They became centralised on a few sites and in 1951 the large
:23:14. > :23:15.new steelworks opened at Port Talbot.
:23:16. > :23:17.Where once the economic blizzards of former years swept
:23:18. > :23:21.across Port Talbot, there now emerges the Abbey steelworks...
:23:22. > :23:24.By the late '60s, Port Talbot was one of the big beasts.
:23:25. > :23:27.Around 20,000 people were making steel for anything from cars
:23:28. > :23:32.to much-desired new washing machines.
:23:33. > :23:34.In the early '80s, Port Talbot steelworks had to fight
:23:35. > :23:38.for its future with harsher cuts than today.
:23:39. > :23:43.The Slimline project cut 12,500 workers to 7,500 in one blow.
:23:44. > :23:47.It was a pretty bleak time for the town and I think a lot
:23:48. > :23:49.of people worried then about the future, was it
:23:50. > :23:53.But then within a few years you get investment,
:23:54. > :23:58.you got a big expansion in more of the coke ovens.
:23:59. > :24:02.Almost hand-in-hand with the scaling back of jobs was this sort
:24:03. > :24:09.I think that's what's kept people positive.
:24:10. > :24:12.The shake-up saved Port Talbot through that recession.
:24:13. > :24:15.Tommy Fellowes started working there in the mid-'50s and 16 years
:24:16. > :24:22.Now retired, he looks at a map of all the steelworks and collieries
:24:23. > :24:26.The people of Port Talbot are very tenacious.
:24:27. > :24:31.We've gone through this time and time again.
:24:32. > :24:35.In 1956, my father was put on short time in Margam.
:24:36. > :24:39.So it's nothing new to us because we've always survived.
:24:40. > :24:42.That's the whole source of the exercise.
:24:43. > :24:48.We're not going to go away like most of the big manufacturing industries
:24:49. > :24:54.Port Talbot is producing more, better-quality steel
:24:55. > :24:57.than in the past, but the pressure is on it again.
:24:58. > :25:01.In 2012, hundreds of workers lost their jobs in Port Talbot,
:25:02. > :25:06.but spirits lifted as Tata invested ?185 million on a new blast furnace.
:25:07. > :25:09.I just couldn't think of anything better to happen to this
:25:10. > :25:12.It's the best thing that could have happened.
:25:13. > :25:14.Symbolically, steel-making in Port Talbot goes back
:25:15. > :25:20.An asset like this will put it on the map for hopefully
:25:21. > :25:27.Port Talbot is still making 3.5 million tonnes of steel a year.
:25:28. > :25:30.The problem is finding customers at the right price.
:25:31. > :25:33.Throughout its life, this plant has competed
:25:34. > :25:35.on the global market, but it's a fight that's
:25:36. > :25:43.Let's talk to our political editor, Nick Servini, in Cardiff Bay.
:25:44. > :25:46.Nick, the Tata job losses today have inevitably turned
:25:47. > :26:02.Yes. Occasionally we get job losses stories that have a real impact on
:26:03. > :26:07.the political debate and 1000 in the steel industry is one of them,
:26:08. > :26:10.particularly in the light of the EU referendum and the assembly election
:26:11. > :26:14.campaign coming up. It's worth reflecting that under a fortnight
:26:15. > :26:20.ago George Osborne was in Cardiff warning about a dangerous cocktail
:26:21. > :26:25.facing the British economy. The key question will be, on a day like
:26:26. > :26:29.today where a warning like that becomes a reality, does it make
:26:30. > :26:33.people more reluctant to want change and a withdrawal from the EU or does
:26:34. > :26:37.it make people more angry with Brussels and the EU and the claims
:26:38. > :26:42.they haven't done enough to deal with the imports of cheap Chinese
:26:43. > :26:47.steel. More domestically, there's been a blame game going on. Labour
:26:48. > :26:52.at when spinster accusing the Tories of cosying up to the Chinese. Carl
:26:53. > :26:56.Wyn Jones Zayn if the UK Government had done things differently, this
:26:57. > :27:00.could have been avoided. The UK Government has responded, saying
:27:01. > :27:08.it's all about economics rather than politics and ultimately you can't
:27:09. > :27:10.buck the market. Thank you. Coming up to 7pm.
:27:11. > :27:12.Our main story tonight: This community is coming to terms
:27:13. > :27:14.with the announcement, long-expected, that Tata is cutting
:27:15. > :27:17.1,000 steel jobs across the UK and the majority of them in Port
:27:18. > :27:22.750 jobs are to be lost across Port Talbot and Llanwern
:27:23. > :27:30.in Newport - 15 at Trostre in Llanelli.
:27:31. > :27:38.Earlier I spoke to the First Minister. Unfortunately nothing can
:27:39. > :27:42.be done in terms of saving these jobs. We are focused on the people
:27:43. > :27:45.affected. There's a meeting on Wednesday with a view to taking
:27:46. > :27:50.forward plans to help them. You asked about the industry itself.
:27:51. > :27:55.There's a glut of steel on the world market and it's a problem for the
:27:56. > :27:59.European steel industry. This is obviously very sad news about the
:28:00. > :28:02.job losses in Port Talbot and elsewhere. We'll work very closely
:28:03. > :28:09.with the company and the local communities to do everything we can
:28:10. > :28:12.to get people the training and assistance they need and will
:28:13. > :28:15.continue to do everything we can to help the steel industry.
:28:16. > :28:18.I will have an update for you here at 8pm and again
:28:19. > :28:21.That's Wales Today - thank you for watching.
:28:22. > :28:28.From all of us on the programme, good evening.
:28:29. > :28:31.500 Words is back - the Radio 2 writing competition for kids
:28:32. > :28:34.with our new judge, the Duchess of Cornwall!