Nigel Farage ‘not interested in Wales', Starmer claims
Sir Keir Starmer has said Reform leader Nigel Farage 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for Port Talbot's blast furnaces.
Speaking at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno, the Prime Minister described the Reform UK leader as a 'wolf in Wall Street clothing'.
'When you ask him about Clacton, he thinks he's running in the 2.10 at Ascot,' Sir Keir joked.
Mr Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot's blast furnaces but Sir Keir said the Reform leader has 'no idea what he's talking about', when it comes to the furnaces, and has 'no plan at all'.
Port Talbot's remaining blast furnaces were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place.
Reform is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination at the Senedd elections in May next year.
Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats.
Taking aim at Mr Farage, Sir Keir said the Clacton MP is 'a wolf in Wall Street clothing'.
'Reform claimed to be the party of patriotism while sucking up to Putin and abusing our armed forces online.
'They say they're the party of workers while they vote against workers' rights, intending to charge people to use the NHS and plan unfunded tax cuts for billionaires.'
Sir Keir also said any deal between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru at next year's key elections in Wales would amount to a 'backroom stitch-up'.
The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely.
The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make.
It would be 'working families left to pick up the bill', he added.
'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said.
'I know that these are the parties that talk a big game, but who is actually delivering?'
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election.
Farmers gathered outside the conference to protest ahead of Sir Keir's speech, with about 20 tractors parked on the promenade in the north Wales resort town by late morning.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer says fixing welfare is a 'moral imperative'
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK's benefits system is broken and fixing it is a "moral imperative", a day after a backbench Labour revolt saw him forced into a U-turn on welfare cuts. The prime minister told the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno that the government would not take away the welfare "safety net that vulnerable people rely on". But he said he could not let benefits "become a snare for those who can and want to work". Despite the government's concession on its plans to reform welfare, some Labour MPs want further changes, while the Unite union has called for the proposal to be dropped altogether ahead of a vote on Tuesday. PM's benefit cuts U-turn leaves backbenchers feeling bruised We've got the right balance, says PM after benefits U-turn Faisal Islam: How much will U-turn on disability benefits cost? The BBC understands whips and cabinet ministers - including Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves - have been phoning or texting Labour MPs over the weekend, going through the names of the initial rebels in a bid to get an accurate assessment of potential voting. Some MPs are saying they have yet to make their mind up on how to vote and are awaiting a statement on Monday from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall that will spell out government concessions. Speaking at the conference in north Wales on Saturday, Sir Keir said fixing the "broken" benefits system needed to be done because it was "failing people every day", leaving "a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control". "Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way," he added. The government's initial plans, aimed at bringing down the welfare bill, would have made it harder for people to claim personal independence payment (Pip), a benefit paid to 3.7 million people with long-term physical or mental health conditions. But following a rebellion among Labour MPs and the likelihood the government would be defeated in the Commons, the government announced the stricter criteria would only apply to new claimants. It reversed its plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, and the payment will now rise in line with inflation for existing recipients. Ministers will also carry out a review of the Pip assessment process, with input from disability organisations. A £1bn support package to help people into work, originally scheduled for 2029, will be fast-tracked. A new "reasoned amendment" to the bill will be put down on Monday by rebel MPs, which will reflect government concessions but is expected to be similar to the now-withdrawn earlier amendment that sought to block changes to the benefits system. The BBC understands that around 50 Labour MPs currently back that new amendment. That number is likely to increase but the expectation is it will not reach the 80-plus needed to put the government in danger of defeat. However it would still represent a significant rebellion. Rebel MPs are also expected to hold a briefing on Monday night at Westminster with various disability charities. Labour MP Diane Abbott earlier told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she thought the result of a vote on the new plans would be tight, partly because backbenchers are still "upset about the lack of consultation" and because of "the notion of a two-tier benefit system". But former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer told the programme that "sensible" changes to the welfare reforms were "pretty significant", and that he believed opposition among Labour MPs was "shrinking and shrinking". Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the Work and Pensions Select Committee, told the BBC on Friday: "The concessions are a good start, they are very good concessions and they will protect existing claimants. "However there are still concerns about new claimants. It would not be right for me not to do anything just to spare the prime minister an inconvenience." Ahead of Sir Keir's conference speech, Unite called for the "entire welfare bill to be dropped and for the government to start again", with general secretary Sharon Graham accusing Labour of "attacking the most vulnerable in our society". "The government's latest plans for disabled benefits cuts are divisive and sinister," she said. "Creating a two-tier system where younger disabled people and those who become disabled in the future will be disadvantaged and denied access to work and education, is morally wrong."
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Chinese history repeating itself in the US?
Scholars and commentators in both the US and China are drawing comparisons between the early months of President Donald Trump's second term and communist dictator Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. But some believe the way of Mao is unlikely to take root in America. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout explores the similarities and differences between the two leaders.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump tells Iran's supreme leader: 'You got beat to hell'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday scoffed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's heated warning to the U.S. not to launch future strikes on Iran, as well as the Iranian supreme leader's assertion that Tehran 'won the war" with Israel. Trump, in remarks to reporters and later in an extended statement on social media, said the ayatollah's comments defied reality after 12 days of Israeli strikes and the U.S. bombardment of three key nuclear sites inflicted severe damage on the country's nuclear program. The president suggested Khamenei's comments were unbecoming of Iran's most powerful political and religious figure. 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth," Trump said of Khamenei. "You got beat to hell.' The U.S. president spoke out a day after Khamenei insisted Tehran had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks by the U.S. or Israel on Iran. Khamenei's pre-recorded statement, which aired on Iranian state television, was the first time that Iranians had heard directly from the supreme leader in days. The heated rhetoric from Trump and Khamenei continued as both leaders face difficult questions about the impact of the strikes. Trump and his aides have pushed back vociferously after an early damage assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency became public and indicated that the U.S. bombardment likely only set back Tehran's nuclear program by months. The 86-year-old Khamenei, the most powerful figure in Iran's theocracy, meanwhile, has appeared intent on demonstrating his authority and vigor amid speculation about his health and how involved he was in making Iran's wartime decisions through the 12-day conflict. In a social media post Friday, Trump also appeared to refer to a plan presented to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in the first days of the Israel-Iran conflict to try to kill Khamenei. Trump vetoed that plan, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,' Trump posted on Truth Social. "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!' Trump, after the U.S. airstrikes, sent chilling warnings via social media to Khamenei that the U.S. knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, 'at least for now." After launching the U.S. strikes — including with U.S.-made bunker-buster bombs — Trump has been insistent that Iran's nuclear sites have been 'obliterated." Administration officials have not disputed the contents of the DIA report but have sought to focus on a CIA statement and other intelligence assessments, including those out of Iran and Israel, that said the strikes severely damaged the nuclear sites and rendered an enrichment facility inoperable. Trump also said that he expects Iran to open itself to international inspection to verify it doesn't restart its nuclear program. Asked if he would demand during expected talks with Iran that the International Atomic Energy Agency or some other organization be authorized to conduct inspections, Trump told reporters the Islamic Republic would have to cooperate with the IAEA 'or somebody that we respect, including ourselves.' White House officials have said they expect to restart talks soon with Iran, though nothing has been scheduled. U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of U.S.-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was canceled after Israel attacked Iran. Trump expressed confidence that Iran's nuclear ambition has faded. 'Can I tell you, they're exhausted. And Israel's exhausted, too,' Trump said. He added, 'The last thing they're thinking right now is nuclear.'