Of the dozen current or departed workers in Port Talbot who spoke to POLITICO, only three said they were likely to vote Labour next time. Five said they would either vote Reform or were considering it. Two were considering Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru — who challenge Labour from the left — and two said they might not vote at all.
“There is an anti-Tory sentiment in these seats, which protects Labour from the Tories,” said one Labour figure in Westminster. “Reform is a different package altogether — it’s something new, it’s not tainted by Thatcherism.” Farage is a lover of Thatcher who backed a statue of her in London’s Trafalgar Square, “but for whatever reason, people choose not to see that.”
Mark Turner, 60, was in the steel industry for 30 years. The Unite union official, a self-described “Corbynite” left-winger who will back Labour, says his old colleagues are “definitely turning to Reform because Reform is basically saying what they think.” He added: “Labour gained power, and literally within days their stance [on Port Talbot] completely changed.”
Nigel Parsons, 51, was made redundant Dec. 30. He’s lucky — his mortgage is paid off — but his next job will pay less. He believes a £500 million government deal for Port Talbot’s future should have had more strings attached. “I always used to vote Labour,” he said. “My mother and father voted Labour, and I did. But I’ll tell you honestly, I voted Reform last time and I will continue to vote Reform until he [Farage] comes in.”
Alan Walters, 58, who moved to the steelworks from digging up roads on night shifts, will stick with Labour. His last day is March 31, but he hopes to return when the new electric arc furnace is built. Other workers don’t trust that it will arrive.
One outgoing steelworker, 29, said “you can’t fault the government” for global factors. Others say the same. Yet he is currently backing Reform: “It’s to give [Labour] something to think about.”
