TATA Steel must provide “a clear set of guarantees” on its commitment to its British operation if it scraps plans to sell off its UK plants, a Welsh MP has said.

Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock was commenting on suggestions Tata may be reconsidering the sale of its plants in Llanwern, Caerphilly, Port Talbot and across the UK.

Some have suggested a recent upturn in the UK steel market could mean Tata may reverse its plants to offload its UK plants.

The Labour MP told BBC Wales: “If Tata do want to stay in we would welcome that in principle.

“But I would also say in practice steelworkers in my constituency and their families and communities around them have been through hell in the last few years, and certainly since March 28 when the sale was announced.

“I think they’ll be forgiven for treating any news that Tata is staying on board with a degree of scepticism and even anger.

“We need a very clear set of guarantees from Tata if they are doing that that they’ll be in it for the long run, that they are investing and that they will be doing what is needed so were not back here at square one in 12 months from now.”

He added: “We know the steel industry has its ups and down.

“We’ve got to be in this for the long run.

“We don’t want to be back here in 12 or 24 months time.

“I am fine with them staying on board, but I want to see some guarantees connected to that.”

On UK Government proposals to change the law in order to allow it to take action to protect steel workers pensions, which could see pension benefits cuts, Mr Kinnock said there were “no risk-free options”.

“What most steel workers will tell you is, if it’s a choice between losing jobs altogether and taking some of this hit, I think generally they’ll take it,” he said.

“The steel unions are an incredibly pragmatic bunch of people and I think they’ve shown that over the years they want to engage very constructively.”

Tata has not commented on suggestions it may be reconsidering its UK sale.