A LIBERAL Democrat AM has hit out at the Labour Welsh Government’s handling of the crisis in the steel industry.

Speaking at the party’s annual conference South Wales Central AM Eluned Parrott said the Welsh Labour Party had not done enough to support the embattled industry.

The industry has been under serious pressure in recent weeks and months in the face of cheap imports and high energy costs. Last month Tata Steel announced it would cut 1,050 jobs, including 750 at its plants in Llanwern and Port Talbot.

Ms Parrott said she had frequently called for more to be done, but her appeals had fallen on deaf ears.

“I know that the Labour Government can’t do everything,” she said. “But since when was that an excuse to do nothing?

“To properly close that wealth gap, and close it for good, we need a plan to build sustainable growth through resolving our structural problems.”

The Welsh Government formed a task force after Tata made the announcement and is working with the company to minimise the impact of the job losses.