THE UK Government has been accused of having "walked away from the consequences" of intervening in the sale of the Newport Wafer Fab semiconductor plant to a firm with Chinese links.

Newport East Senedd member John Griffiths said the 600-strong staff at the factory were "very concerned" about the site's future, weeks after UK business secretary Grant Shapps blocked its sale on national security grounds.

Nexperia made a reported £63 million purchase of the city plant, but there are suspicions from some that its parent company is linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr Griffiths said staff were concerned by "the UK Government decision forcing Nexperia to sell at least 86 per cent of its stake in Newport Wafer Fab".

'Valuable jobs'

"These are very well-paid and high-tech, highly skilled jobs," he said, adding: "The UK Government, having cited national security concerns for their decision, now seem to have walked away from the consequences."

He said he and Jayne Bryant, the Senedd member for Newport West - where the plant is located - had met with Wafer Fab employees, who felt "very strongly" about the current uncertainty.

"Obviously, what the workforce wants and the company wants... is for the UK Government to engage, to have a dialogue, to be part of finding a way forward that protects these crucial, valuable jobs, and indeed planned investment," Mr Griffiths said.

He called on the Welsh Government to "do all it can to ensure that the UK Government faces up to its responsibility and supports these quality jobs and this high-tech industry in Newport".

South Wales Argus: Newport East MS John Griffiths (left) and economy minister Vaughan Gething.Newport East MS John Griffiths (left) and economy minister Vaughan Gething. (Image: Senedd)

'Challenges'

Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Government's economy minister, said he would meet Mr Shapps this week to discuss the future of Newport Wafer Fab.

"We agree that the UK Government needs to undertake more engagement around the future of this particular business," Mr Gething said, adding that there were "challenges about the order book, because those people are Nexperia customers".

"There's also a challenge about future investment that would need to be made, and, crucially, about the people," he said. "It's not just the 600 people with families and well-paid jobs we should be concerned about, it's about some of those people who, if there isn't a clear plan for the future, may make alternative choices."

He added: "Those are points that I've been looking to take up when I meet Grant Shapps... We're certainly looking for an approach together with the UK Government that involves us and our direct relationships with the business and, indeed, the wider sector."