Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Cefin Campbell has called on the UK Government to rejoin the European Union in order to shield Wales’s steel industry from a new wave of tariffs he warns could “cripple” manufacturers.
The plea follows the EU’s announcement that it will mirror tariffs previously imposed by former US President Donald Trump, doubling levies on imported steel to 50%. With nearly 80% of UK steel exports destined for the EU, trade body UK Steel has warned that the move could trigger the “biggest crisis” the industry has faced in decades.
Loss of preferential access
Speaking on ITV Cymru Wales’ Sharp End programme, Cefin Campbell MS described the situation as a “direct result of Brexit”, which he said had stripped the UK of its preferential access to the European market.
“If we were still in the European Union, we would not be paying these tariffs,” he said. “Eighty per cent of our steel exports go to Europe — the biggest trading bloc in the world — and we madly decided to leave it. We’re now paying the price.
“That’s why I would implore Sir Keir Starmer to rejoin the single market and the customs union.”
Labour Senedd Member John Griffiths also voiced concern, highlighting the UK’s increased vulnerability since leaving the EU.
“It is extremely worrying, and I know the Welsh Government is urging the UK Government to seek talks with the European Commission as soon as possible,” he said. “We’re caught between the United States and the European Union in this tariff war. It just shows one of the real consequences of Brexit.”
Industry workers anxious
Griffiths, who represents Newport East — home to the Llanwern steelworks — said workers were “feeling very worried and very vulnerable” about the sector’s future.
Yet the Welsh Conservatives have rejected claims linking the tariffs to Brexit. Samuel Kurtz MS dismissed the suggestion as “for the birds”, insisting the problem stemmed from “Europe’s trade war with Donald Trump’s America”.
Reform UK’s Jason O’Connell went further, attributing instability in the steel sector to “the madness of the drive for net zero” rather than Brexit.
Wales braces for impact
Steel producers across Wales, including Port Talbot and Llanwern, are preparing for the potential effects of the EU’s decision. Industry leaders warn that thousands of jobs could be at risk unless a trade solution is secured swiftly.
