Port Talbot Steelworks, Port Talbot, Wales, UK. 26th January 2024. Demonstrators hold a protest outside of Port Talbot steelworks organised by Unite, calling on Tata to shelve its plans to close both blast furnaces and wait for this year’s general election result. Unite has secured commitments that an incoming Labour government will invest £3 billion in the UK’s steel industry and provide serious investment for Port Talbot. Labour’s leadership has told Tata not to make any “irreversible decisions” prior to the general election, which is expected in the autumn. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Tata has had clear commitments that a Labour government will provide serious investment for the plant. Unite has shown how we can use this investment to save jobs and maintain capacity that allows for future growth at Port Talbot. “The demand for steel is expanding and the opportunity is there for the UK to become the European capital of green steel. Tata must listen, shelve its plans and protect UK steel production. Unite will not stop fighting until it does.” The UK would be "woefully underprepared" for potential wars if Port Talbot's two blast furnaces close, according to the GMB Union. In a letter written to the UK Defence Secretary, the union warned that the "UK will be unable to make full range of steel needed for warships and other parts of defence supply chain."