REBEL MP Peter Law told the prime minister yesterday that one of the reasons Labour lost Blaenau Gwent was because Tony Blair failed to visit Ebbw Vale when 500 steel jobs were axed.

In his maiden speech to parliament, the Independent MP and Assembly Member Mr Law revealed that he wrote to the prime minister at the time of the Corus job losses on July 5, 2002, asking him to visit Ebbw Vale to boost "our morale and to say that the government were concerned about us."

But, Mr Law said: "Nobody came, and perhaps that is another reason why I'm standing here today as the Independent member for Blaenau Gwent."

Mr Law gave a personal commitment to his constituents that he would work to help find quality jobs for the area and said that despite attempts to bring work to the hard-hit constituency, jobs had been slow in coming following the devastating closure of the town's tinplate works.

"It was a tragic day for us when on July 5, 2002, the Corus steel company - executioners and axemen as I described them - closed that steelworks in our constituency," Mr Law said.

"It had a devastating effect on us. The last of 500 jobs - quality jobs - at the steelworks were taken away and immediately the community plummeted into another era of handouts and soup kitchens.

"Five hundred families lost their quality of life with the loss of those jobs and the local economy was devastated beyond belief. That was only three years ago. It has been a long haul and our local economy has still not recovered. The effect on the towns in my constituency has been devastating."

He expressed regret because Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, who opened the debate, was absent when he rose to give his speech.

He said that Mr Hain needed to "reflect very seriously" on Labour's defeat at Blaenau Gwent and the 20 people who, "disgracefully, had been expelled from the Labour Party because they stood up for the people".

"I find it strange that people in New Labour, instead of thinking carefully about that, have gone on to add insult to injury."

He praised Llew Smith, his predecessor and said he would always "have a very special place of affection in the constituency."