:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to Wales Today, live from Port Talbot.
:00:00. > :00:09.The news is still sinking in here that Tata is to sell
:00:10. > :00:14.the steelworks, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
:00:15. > :00:19.The Indian parent company won't commit to keeping its British
:00:20. > :00:22.operations open for long while a buyer is found.
:00:23. > :00:25.It has to be done in a time bound manner.
:00:26. > :00:28.I don't want to define that time at this point in time
:00:29. > :00:31.but there are several steps to be followed.
:00:32. > :00:35.Steel plants in Llanelli, Newport and Shotton are also
:00:36. > :00:40.affected, but Port Talbot is by far the biggest.
:00:41. > :00:46.We certainly hope so because the workforce is fully committed
:00:47. > :00:49.and we have proven time and again that we
:00:50. > :00:51.can break records and produce high-quality products.
:00:52. > :00:53.Tonight, questions for politicians in Westminster and Wales,
:00:54. > :00:57.did they do enough and what the steelworkers want to know -
:00:58. > :01:20.Tata Steel, which employs more than 6,000 people at sites
:01:21. > :01:23.across Wales says it can't give an open ended commitment
:01:24. > :01:28.to keeping its UK plants open as the search for a buyer begins.
:01:29. > :01:32.The Indian company has announced it's selling up in the face
:01:33. > :01:35.of cheap foreign imports, high energy costs and a global
:01:36. > :01:42.A rescue plan put forward by managers and unions was rejected
:01:43. > :01:47.Port Talbot is the UK's biggest steelworks.
:01:48. > :01:51.Tonight, who's going to buy a business losing up to a million
:01:52. > :01:56.pounds a day in an industry caught in the middle of a global crisis?
:01:57. > :02:10.Thousands here depend on the steel industry for their livelihoods. Last
:02:11. > :02:16.night, a decision was taken in India that will profoundly affect them.
:02:17. > :02:20.Tata wants to sell its UK business, including Britain's biggest
:02:21. > :02:27.steelworks in Port Talbot, with 4000 are employed. The company also has
:02:28. > :02:32.more than 800 staff at Shotton, another 800 work at its sites in
:02:33. > :02:37.Newport, and 750 people are employed by the company in Llanelli. It is
:02:38. > :02:42.not clear how long it will take to find a buyer but Tata says the
:02:43. > :02:47.search can't go on for ever. It has to be done in a time bound manner. I
:02:48. > :02:51.don't want to define that time at this point in time but there are
:02:52. > :02:57.several steps to be followed. It has got to be done pretty definitely and
:02:58. > :03:02.it is not an open ended solution. It is a blow to the workforce who know
:03:03. > :03:06.any buyer will face the same problems that prompted Tata to
:03:07. > :03:11.pull-out. We need other things to happen. We need help with energy
:03:12. > :03:19.prices to help this plant get back to making money. Tata says it has
:03:20. > :03:25.pumped money into its British businesses but it has lost money as
:03:26. > :03:29.well. ?2 billion in five years. The company says it wants steel-making
:03:30. > :03:32.to continue in Port Talbot but it can't commit to keeping this plant
:03:33. > :03:38.open indefinitely while it searches for a buyer. One option would be
:03:39. > :03:43.finding a company to buy Port Talbot as a going concern, but there are
:03:44. > :03:47.questions over who would be in the market to buy a loss-making plant.
:03:48. > :03:52.The possibility of a management buyout is also on the table. Unions
:03:53. > :03:57.and managers have already come up with a turnaround plan. The Scottish
:03:58. > :04:01.Government temporarily took ownership of sites there to help
:04:02. > :04:05.speed up a sale but that was on a much smaller scale than the Welsh
:04:06. > :04:09.steel industry. The UK Government has said it is open to ideas but
:04:10. > :04:15.there are limits to how far it will intervene. I don't think that
:04:16. > :04:19.nationalisation is going to be a solution because everyone would want
:04:20. > :04:23.a long-term, viable solution, and if you look around Europe, the
:04:24. > :04:30.nationalisation has varied the answer. But there are solutions and
:04:31. > :04:35.I think once we understand the situation better, we want to make
:04:36. > :04:40.sure we explore all of them. He has cut short a visit to Australia and
:04:41. > :04:44.labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was in Port Talbot today, where he said the
:04:45. > :04:48.UK Government had to stop the steel industry from being destroyed by a
:04:49. > :04:52.global corporation that had decided Port Talbot was expendable. Unions
:04:53. > :04:58.have told us the Shotton steelworks is profitable and that the site in
:04:59. > :05:02.Newport could be sold off separately because it supplies the car
:05:03. > :05:08.industry. Experts say despite the competition from China, wealth made
:05:09. > :05:13.steel still has a role to play. We need steel as part of our
:05:14. > :05:17.foundational economy. It means we can make things, we can make great
:05:18. > :05:22.things for global markets, particularly the automotive market.
:05:23. > :05:28.We are seeing automotive manufacturers really looking to
:05:29. > :05:32.Wales now as a place to set up shop. For months, the industry has warned
:05:33. > :05:36.it faces a crisis but the politicians have said they need
:05:37. > :05:39.months, not weeks, to find a buyer for these plans. Tonight, thousands
:05:40. > :05:42.of people face an uncertain future. Tonight, thousands of people face
:05:43. > :05:44.an uncertain future. Let's speak to the First
:05:45. > :05:51.Minister Carwyn Jones. We still hear two months ago when
:05:52. > :05:55.the job losses were first announced and you said you would work with the
:05:56. > :06:02.UK Government to do all you could. Clearly that has come to nothing.
:06:03. > :06:06.Politicians are powerless. What we have done is to keep in constant
:06:07. > :06:11.touch with the company and the UK Government to set up an enterprise
:06:12. > :06:16.zone here and the cast was but the announcement that was made yesterday
:06:17. > :06:20.is hugely difficult but it is important now that there is enough
:06:21. > :06:24.time provided to find a buyer for the Welsh steel operations. You did
:06:25. > :06:31.all you could to stop this happening? It is a question of being
:06:32. > :06:35.able to influence Tata as much as we can. They said a few weeks ago that
:06:36. > :06:39.they saw a difficult future in the UK but they have got to be
:06:40. > :06:44.responsible sellers, given enough time for a buyer to come forward and
:06:45. > :06:47.keep their operations going in the meantime. You spoke to Prime
:06:48. > :06:54.Minister David Cameron this afternoon. Is there a route map from
:06:55. > :06:58.here? We need to understand in more detail what Tata are proposing. I
:06:59. > :07:01.will have a conversation with them tomorrow and we will look to get
:07:02. > :07:06.more detail in terms of what their future plans are. The UK Government
:07:07. > :07:09.and our self share the same goal and that is to make sure there is a
:07:10. > :07:16.future for the Welsh steel industry. Tata could not make this place were,
:07:17. > :07:21.what place or hope is there for any other company to make it profitable?
:07:22. > :07:26.It is the other Welsh operations as well, they are part of a package,
:07:27. > :07:29.and it has made many before so it can make money again. It is about
:07:30. > :07:35.getting through this difficult patch. I think there are people out
:07:36. > :07:40.there who will look to see if there is a future for the Welsh steel
:07:41. > :07:44.industry. We will leave no stone unturned in supporting the community
:07:45. > :07:48.import Albert and the rest of Wales. -- in Port Talbot.
:07:49. > :07:50.In a moment we'll be hearing what the community makes
:07:51. > :07:53.But first, politicians from all parties have been
:07:54. > :07:55.giving their reaction to the news here.
:07:56. > :07:56.There are potentially a range of solutions.
:07:57. > :07:59.Nationalisation, taking a temporary stake.
:08:00. > :08:02.The point is that all options need to be considered and all parties
:08:03. > :08:05.need to work together to come up with something that saves this
:08:06. > :08:12.I think first of all we have to ask Tata to be given time to make sure
:08:13. > :08:18.Clearly, at this stage, it must be the UK government that
:08:19. > :08:20.assumes the greatest part of the responsibility.
:08:21. > :08:24.The Welsh Assembly should be helping with the business rates
:08:25. > :08:28.and the British government have gold-plated EU legislation all along
:08:29. > :08:31.making it harder and harder for these kind of industries to survive.
:08:32. > :08:34.Who would buy an industry like this now?
:08:35. > :08:40.Let's go to Westminster and our parliamentary correspondent
:08:41. > :08:45.David, everyone knew the steel industry was struggling.
:08:46. > :08:55.Have our politicians done too little too late?
:08:56. > :09:03.Jamie, they hope not. Downing Street has been stressing today that it has
:09:04. > :09:07.been focusing completely on working with the company to try to secure a
:09:08. > :09:12.sustainable future for steel in Wales. But there is a feeling that
:09:13. > :09:18.ministers here have been caught on the hop, the Business Secretary,
:09:19. > :09:23.Sajid Javid, who we heard from earlier, has been in Australia. He
:09:24. > :09:29.is now having to fly back from Australia to help pick up the pieces
:09:30. > :09:33.of this announcement. And we heard him saying that nationalisation is
:09:34. > :09:40.not their future for steel in the UK. But clearly, the ministers here
:09:41. > :09:46.are looking at all sorts of options and that may mean some form of
:09:47. > :09:52.stated -- state intervention, whether it is to help find another
:09:53. > :09:55.buyer or to offer support for a management and workforce buyout.
:09:56. > :09:59.Jeremy Corbyn has demanded and asked for Parliament to be recalled. David
:10:00. > :10:04.Cameron has rejected that but the Prime Minister will tomorrow, in
:10:05. > :10:09.Downing Street, cheery meeting of key ministers to discuss the crisis
:10:10. > :10:10.and among those key ministers will be the new Secretary of State for
:10:11. > :10:13.Wales, Alun Cairns. 4,000 people work here but every
:10:14. > :10:16.steel worker supports many other businesses, not just around
:10:17. > :10:20.here but right across Wales, from component suppliers,
:10:21. > :10:23.maintenance contractors to food Ben Price has spent the day
:10:24. > :10:38.here in Port Talbot. The white steam rises high above the
:10:39. > :10:44.town, work continues as normal. But for how much longer? Andrew
:10:45. > :10:48.O'Connor, a steelworker for around 30 years, was on the late shift when
:10:49. > :10:53.the news trickled through last night from India, Tata is to sell off the
:10:54. > :10:58.plant. It was not the news they had been hoping for. It is difficult to
:10:59. > :11:03.deal with when you are working. It is a dangerous environment so you
:11:04. > :11:07.have got to focus. But it is in the back of your mind all the time, what
:11:08. > :11:12.does the future hold? We have heard about the losses we are making so is
:11:13. > :11:15.there a buyer out there? We hope so because the workforce is fully
:11:16. > :11:21.committed and we have proved time and again we can break records and
:11:22. > :11:25.produce high-quality products. It is hard not to notice the steelworks
:11:26. > :11:28.towering above everything else. Its presence underlines its importance
:11:29. > :11:33.to this area and the many communities that have built up
:11:34. > :11:37.around it. Over the past five and a half decades, the site has seen its
:11:38. > :11:43.workforce reduced from almost 20,000 to just 4000. But the tight-knit
:11:44. > :11:48.steel working community that exists has always supported others at times
:11:49. > :11:53.of need. In 2012, Michael suffered life changing industries -- injuries
:11:54. > :11:57.following an accident at the plant. He told me how important the steel
:11:58. > :12:03.industry has been during his recovery. It is not possible to
:12:04. > :12:07.explain the level of support and the meaning it has for you until you
:12:08. > :12:12.have to use it. When you have got to use it and it is there, it is
:12:13. > :12:15.absolutely fabulous. Beyond the steelworks, there is the hundreds of
:12:16. > :12:19.businesses that have a connection with the plant but even the smaller
:12:20. > :12:26.shops and cafes along the high Street are concerned about the
:12:27. > :12:29.impact this will have on them. This tea shop opened less than a year ago
:12:30. > :12:32.but with the future of the steelworks hanging in the balance,
:12:33. > :12:38.its owner now questions that investment. We have been here ten
:12:39. > :12:42.months into a three-year deal and I think I would have thought twice
:12:43. > :12:49.about it if I knew what I know now. The message that rings around Port
:12:50. > :12:50.Talbot is to save our steel. Many years here without that this
:12:51. > :13:00.community could be lost. Let's talk to Chris James from the
:13:01. > :13:05.community union. Realistically, how easy is it going to be to find a
:13:06. > :13:12.buyer for this place? We have got some of the best steelworkers, the
:13:13. > :13:18.best steel in the world, the issues are Chinese steel. If we can sort
:13:19. > :13:24.out the Chinese steel and sort out the energy prices, this plant has
:13:25. > :13:27.got a future, it really has. No one would argue the quality of the steel
:13:28. > :13:31.is amazing, but the global conditions are not going to change,
:13:32. > :13:36.no matter whose name is on the front door. The global conditions can be
:13:37. > :13:48.sorted out by the government. The energy prices. We need those things
:13:49. > :13:53.to change so we have a level playing field. But the Welsh government and
:13:54. > :13:58.the UK Government can't turn around a global slump in demand. There is a
:13:59. > :14:05.worldwide slump in demand for this product and they can't change that.
:14:06. > :14:11.The Chinese are flooding the market, overcapacity, and there needs to be
:14:12. > :14:18.tariffs on that Chinese steel. Do you accept that perhaps this may
:14:19. > :14:23.just be the natural end of the road for this plant and other plants
:14:24. > :14:28.across Wales and the UK? The UK stops doing steel like we stop doing
:14:29. > :14:32.coal. Not for the community here, not for the people who work in
:14:33. > :14:37.there. We have got some of the hardest working people in there.
:14:38. > :14:41.They have ruined this whole area. We saw what happened when the mines
:14:42. > :14:44.went. We don't want the same to happen to Port Talbot.
:14:45. > :14:47.The decision to sell off all of Tata's UK operations
:14:48. > :14:49.was taken in India, the home of the steelmaker's parent company.
:14:50. > :14:51.BBC's Mumbai correspondent Yogita Limaye explains how
:14:52. > :14:57.Tata has said it has become very difficult for the company
:14:58. > :15:00.to continue to support its UK operations and that's why it made
:15:01. > :15:04.the decision to look at selling a part or all of their business
:15:05. > :15:09.There is to that lots of challenges, some of them global in nature -
:15:10. > :15:13.competition from other countries that are producing steel at low
:15:14. > :15:16.prices, China in particular, and also in oversupply of steel,
:15:17. > :15:19.but also some of them are specific to the UK -
:15:20. > :15:22.higher costs of manufacturing, relatively high prices
:15:23. > :15:29.A Tata board member told me today that the sale has to be done
:15:30. > :15:32.in a time bound manner and that is not an open-ended solution.
:15:33. > :15:36.As far as the Port Talbot plant is concerned, he said they have not
:15:37. > :15:40.begun talking to buyers yet but they are expecting
:15:41. > :15:45.Outside of the UK, Tata has operations in the Netherlands
:15:46. > :15:49.in Europe and the Tata board member has said those operations
:15:50. > :15:53.are performing fairly strongly and so he indicated that Tata plans
:15:54. > :16:00.Outside Europe, they have factories in India as well as South East Asia.
:16:01. > :16:04.Their operations in India have been profitable and the ones
:16:05. > :16:08.in South East Asia were making losses but they are beginning
:16:09. > :16:12.Steel is only a part of Tata's business.
:16:13. > :16:16.It is a huge conglomerate with over a hundred companies.
:16:17. > :16:19.Obviously, while they are facing challenges as far as Tata Steel
:16:20. > :16:21.is concerned, they have many success stories.
:16:22. > :16:26.Their most successful company is one in information technology.
:16:27. > :16:28.Let's have a word with our political editor Nick Servini.
:16:29. > :16:32.This is a private business working in a global economy.
:16:33. > :16:41.What can politicians here or in Westminster really do?
:16:42. > :16:49.That is what they have been discussing. A day of intense
:16:50. > :16:55.negotiations. Clearly, that announcement last night came as a
:16:56. > :17:01.shock to many people. All the ideas swirling about today, broadly we are
:17:02. > :17:05.talking about two things. A quick deal to try to keep the lights on
:17:06. > :17:10.and something more long-term in terms of state ownership or part
:17:11. > :17:15.ownership of the industry. What we used to call nationalisation. In
:17:16. > :17:21.terms of nationalisation, for the UK Government that is not on the
:17:22. > :17:25.agenda, but what is on the agenda, because of the strategic importance
:17:26. > :17:29.of this to Britain, is significant help to any kind of deal that could
:17:30. > :17:36.be on the table. But you need a buyer. And this is losing it is said
:17:37. > :17:43.?1 million a day. Who is going to buy a business losing ?1 million a
:17:44. > :17:47.day? The conditions for the steel industry have marginally improved in
:17:48. > :17:52.recent months but the fundamentals are still there and the depressing
:17:53. > :17:57.fact is that Tata, one of the world's greatest steel companies,
:17:58. > :18:01.has spent ?2 billion over five years and has failed to do it. There are
:18:02. > :18:06.clearly profit-making lines in part of this operation. One of the
:18:07. > :18:10.questions tonight is whether the future is that it could be bought
:18:11. > :18:12.lock stock and barrel or carved up. It will look very different in the
:18:13. > :18:15.future. Later we'll be looking back at over
:18:16. > :18:18.a century of steelmaking in Wales as people here hope it
:18:19. > :18:21.won't be coming to an end. First, here's the rest
:18:22. > :18:25.of the day's news with Lucy. A man who killed a 22-year-old woman
:18:26. > :18:32.at a hotel near Blackwood is likely to have been experiencing a 'drug
:18:33. > :18:35.induced psychotic episode', Matthew Williams attacked Cerys Yemm
:18:36. > :18:40.in Argoed in 2014 before Healthcare Inspectorate Wales says
:18:41. > :18:47.it's hard too see how health services could have
:18:48. > :18:49.predicted or prevented it. Cerys Yemm, killed in a psychotic
:18:50. > :18:54.episode by a man who was offered help for his problems
:18:55. > :18:57.but refused that help. 34-year-old Matthew Williams,
:18:58. > :19:00.a prolific user of drugs. When he took them, his mental
:19:01. > :19:03.health deteriorated. An independent report says
:19:04. > :19:06.that is what is likely to have happened here at the Sirhowy
:19:07. > :19:10.Arms hotel in Argoed. Health Inspectorate Wales
:19:11. > :19:13.are charged with improving health It looked at what happened
:19:14. > :19:18.here in November 2014 and asked, It found Matthew Williams
:19:19. > :19:23.was a complex and challenging individual who had received
:19:24. > :19:27.psychiatric treatment in prison Williams was low in mood
:19:28. > :19:31.when he was released but did not show signs or symptoms
:19:32. > :19:34.of mental illness. He refused extra
:19:35. > :19:37.help on the outside. He was aware of it when he left
:19:38. > :19:43.prison, he could have engaged with it, and he chose not
:19:44. > :19:45.to and that was unfortunate because he was a
:19:46. > :19:47.vulnerable individual. The only real recourse to compel
:19:48. > :19:51.somebody to accept support is for them to be detained under
:19:52. > :19:55.the Mental Health Act and his presentation at the time
:19:56. > :19:57.was such that that did not appear Matthew Williams' family have
:19:58. > :20:02.highlighted inaccuracies in the report and they are not happy
:20:03. > :20:06.with it in its entirety. There was nothing in our evidence
:20:07. > :20:09.we have seen that would lead us to conclude we have been inaccurate
:20:10. > :20:13.in what we have presented The report also made
:20:14. > :20:17.ten recommendations, including sharing more information
:20:18. > :20:21.between prisons and health boards, training for managers of prison
:20:22. > :20:25.leaver accommodation, clear and confidential support
:20:26. > :20:30.for families and staff involved But tonight, Cerys Yemm's mother
:20:31. > :20:37.Paula has criticised the report, telling BBC Wales
:20:38. > :20:41.it is very contradictory. She did not want to speak on camera
:20:42. > :20:45.but feels the incident could have been predicted, given
:20:46. > :20:50.Matthew Williams' violent past. Businesses and council leaders
:20:51. > :20:52.in North Wales have met Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns
:20:53. > :20:55.to discuss plans for a growth deal The aim is to develop the area's
:20:56. > :20:59.economy alongside the North of England as part of the so-called
:21:00. > :21:02.Northern Powerhouse. Heads of universities and companies
:21:03. > :21:05.Toyota and Airbus were among A case against the Welsh Government
:21:06. > :21:10.for copyright infringement over its use of photographs
:21:11. > :21:13.of Dylan Thomas has been dismissed Irish company Pablo Star Limited
:21:14. > :21:19.claimed the government used two of its photos to promote worldwide
:21:20. > :21:23.celebrations of the poet's A better day for most
:21:24. > :21:34.of Wales today. Some sunshine but not
:21:35. > :21:37.dry everywhere. A few showers in the
:21:38. > :21:40.north-east and south-east. And on Anglesey
:21:41. > :21:42.with hail in Sealand. The sky clear with one or two mist
:21:43. > :21:48.and fog patches forming and cold. Lowest temperatures below 4 Celsius
:21:49. > :21:54.with a widespread ground frost. Tomorrow's chart shows a ridge
:21:55. > :22:00.of high pressure over the UK So here's the picture
:22:01. > :22:06.for 8am in the morning. A bit chilly but the
:22:07. > :22:09.whole country dry. The odd mist and fog patch
:22:10. > :22:13.but otherwise bright and sunny. A very promising start
:22:14. > :22:17.to the day with light winds. During the day more dry
:22:18. > :22:21.weather and sunshine. Mind you, a few showers will break
:22:22. > :22:24.out by the afternoon. These most likely in the north-east,
:22:25. > :22:28.the Marches and Monmouthshire. And after a chilly start
:22:29. > :22:34.temperatures will reach Not that warm but feeling pleasant
:22:35. > :22:40.in the sunshine with a light In Wrexham tomorrow,
:22:41. > :22:45.some sunshine and dry but I wouldn't In Pembrokeshire, a lovely day
:22:46. > :22:53.tomorrow. On Friday a cold front will bring
:22:54. > :23:04.rain to Scotland and Ireland. High pressure will keep much
:23:05. > :23:07.of England and Wales dry. As for the weekend, becoming warmer
:23:08. > :23:09.with south-easterly winds. Some sunshine but a few
:23:10. > :23:15.showers as well. They've been making steel
:23:16. > :23:25.here for a century but towns across Wales have played their part
:23:26. > :23:29.in forging this industry. Roger Pinney now on a long
:23:30. > :23:34.and distinguished history reports which has seen many
:23:35. > :23:46.difficult chapters. This is what it is like when an era
:23:47. > :23:54.is brought to an end. The last tab of steel at the works near Wrexham.
:23:55. > :23:57.This was 1990 and 1100 jobs were lost. This is what is left of the
:23:58. > :24:03.site, the legacy of almost lost. This is what is left of the
:24:04. > :24:11.of iron and steel making. This could be blind have all Ebbw Vale. A
:24:12. > :24:16.heritage group has been formed to preserve the site and open up the
:24:17. > :24:22.story which can be told to visitors but they can, they say, never really
:24:23. > :24:28.replace what was lost. I saw men with tears in their eyes. It was
:24:29. > :24:38.very sad. What was stunning more than anything else was the complete
:24:39. > :24:44.site. There are only seven or eight jobs involved in the learning Centre
:24:45. > :24:45.so it is nothing like the 1100 jobs. I was here in 1990 when production
:24:46. > :24:51.ended. I still keep this small I was here in 1990 when production
:24:52. > :24:56.of the very last tab. What we have is the story of industrial Wales.
:24:57. > :25:05.The ironmasters came because of the raw materials in the ground.
:25:06. > :25:09.Ironstone, limestone, call for fuel. His Majesty faces, for the first
:25:10. > :25:13.time, the dismantled remains of a once great steelworks. The story of
:25:14. > :25:18.iron and steel always once great steelworks. The story of
:25:19. > :25:23.the story of boom and bust. This was King Henry VIII at the Tao Rice
:25:24. > :25:29.works. For decades later, it fell to Michael Foot, then employment
:25:30. > :25:32.minister, to announce to his own constituents that Ebbw Vale
:25:33. > :25:38.steelworks were too close. I will always tell you the truth. He was
:25:39. > :25:45.later to say it was one of the most difficult times of his political
:25:46. > :25:51.career. Five years later, 6000 lost their jobs when steel production
:25:52. > :25:58.ended at Shotton. By 1988, the industry had been nationalised or
:25:59. > :26:06.privatised no less than four times. They're now emerges the steelworks.
:26:07. > :26:10.When Port Talbot opened, it was a new chapter for the industry. Steel
:26:11. > :26:16.production was moving from the cold feels to new plants on the coast. It
:26:17. > :26:22.was really designed to make chic steel for the car industry and fuel
:26:23. > :26:25.the whole 50s consumer boom. It was a modern product and it was part of
:26:26. > :26:31.rebuilding the Welsh economy and the British economy after the Second
:26:32. > :26:33.World War. Now, fresh questions are being asked. There are fresh
:26:34. > :26:35.challenges to be faced. A final word now with our political
:26:36. > :26:38.editor Nick Servini. Maybe the steel industry now slips
:26:39. > :26:48.into history in Wales? It is interesting, the social
:26:49. > :26:54.importance, the economic importance of the steel industry in Wales,
:26:55. > :26:58.across Wales, goes without saying. But in a way, it is strategic
:26:59. > :27:04.importance might be more important than all of that. If the British
:27:05. > :27:08.government feels it is strategically so important for the UK to retain
:27:09. > :27:14.steel-making capacity, it has a chance to survive. In terms of its
:27:15. > :27:19.economic future, I think it is a race against time. Anyone who saw
:27:20. > :27:23.the interview with Tata today will be left under no illusion, this
:27:24. > :27:29.company wants to get plants like this off its books as quickly as
:27:30. > :27:33.possible. There is now a job to try to persuade Tata to keep it on its
:27:34. > :27:36.books for months rather than weeks to give it a fighting chance to find
:27:37. > :27:42.some kind of buyer to give it a future. Thank you very much indeed.
:27:43. > :27:48.Port Talbot, along with communities in Llanelli, Newport and Shotton,
:27:49. > :27:51.are trying to come to terms with the for sale sign going up
:27:52. > :27:56.Parent company Tata has said it can't give an open-ended
:27:57. > :28:02.commitment keep the plants here open until a buyer is found.
:28:03. > :28:11.We'll have an update for you at 8pm and again after the BBC
:28:12. > :28:22.From all of us on the programme, good evening.