Coleg Gwent's election hustings sees steel and living wage hot topics

Seven candidates standing in constituencies including Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Islwyn and South Wales East spoke at the college’s Crosskeys campus during the 90 minute debate with around 50 people attending.

UKIP’s candidate for South Wales East, Mark Reckless, made a surprise late appearance at the hustings after Joe Smyth, the party’s candidate for Islwyn, was delayed.

On the steel industry, the candidates were asked whether they would support a management buyout – and whether the government should step in.

Steffan Lewis, for Plaid Cymru, said he was backing the management buyout but also government support.

He said: “This is not just an industry, this is a way of life and we know that once you rip out the economic heart of the community it never recovers.”

Dave Reid, standing for the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, called for nationalisation of Tata Steel while Labour’s Rhianon Passmore, standing for Islwyn, said the Welsh government have been working hard to save the industry.

Elizabeth Simon, conservative candidate for Merthyr Tydfil, said bailing out Tata Steel – which she said is losing £1 million a week – would be too risky for taxpayers, but the Welsh conservatives are looking for more sensible approaches.

Mr Reckless said voting to leave the EU on June 23 would safeguard the steel industry for the time being.

Brendan D’Cruz, Liberal Democrat candidate for Blaenau Gwent and South Wales East, said the key is to make sure British businesses use British steel.

Pippa Bartolotti, for the Green Party in Newport and South Wales East, said the government has known that the crisis was waiting to happen since 2005. She said: “Our government has been hammering holes in the Welsh steel industry for years”.

Tooba Naqvi, head of Coleg Gwent’s politics society which hosted the hustings, said: “It would be a myth to say young people are not interested in politics.”