He is to hold talks with Cyrus Mistry to discuss details of the sales process for the firm’s United Kingdom steel operations.
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Mr Gupta’s entrepreneurial skills were obvious even when in college. I am still to engage fully.
But he added: “I don’t think there has been any change in terms of our attitude towards Wales as a place to do business”.
Mr Javid was involved in a series of meetings on Tuesday with other ministers, industry officials and union leaders.
“The Welsh Government has put forward over £60m towards securing a new buyer for Tata’s operations in Wales”, he said.
“These plants can not close”.
Mr Jones said the meeting had been “heartening”, and that there had been “an acceptance” that the Government may have to offer help on pension liabilities to attract a sale.
“I’ve met Liberty before and I’m very happy to meet them again today”. “We are calling on the government to accelerate investment for £35bn ($49.9bn) of already agreed on infrastructure projects and to build them using British steel”, Corbyn will say in prepared remarks. We know there are potential buyers out there – but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
The Government is ready to provide support to clinch a deal to save the Port Talbot steelworks, Business Secretary Sajid Javid has said.
“There is a way of making steel in the United Kingdom which has a much lower carbon footprint that what we now do”.
However, he acknowledged that the Government would have to come forward with some financial assistance if there was to be a deal.
Research for the union showed that the spend by NR with Tata was in decline.
Last week, Tata Steel said it will look to sell full or a partial stake in its steel assets in the UK.
This has fallen by 14.6%, from £114,865,267 or 2.1% of spend, in the previous year, it was claimed.
He said the biggest problem over Port Talbot’s viability was the plant’s giant blast furnace, but suggested it could be converted into a smaller arc furnace which recycles scrap steel rather than relying on more expensive imported raw materials. The Welsh Government has committed to doing what we can within our available powers and resources, and now its time for the UK Government to act.
The business minister said she estimated Tata could find a buyer within four to six weeks.
Unite leader Len McCluskey said: “At the moment we are on the same page”.
But Mr Gupta is reluctant to take on Port Talbot’s loss-making blast furnace, which alarms the steel union.
Mr Jones said there wasn’t an issue with pensions in the talks, adding that the process of safeguarding Tata employees’ pensions were “recognised during the meeting”.
Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said: “Labour has warned for months of the escalating crisis facing steel”.
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“I will listen to them and I want to reassure them myself that the Government is on their side in working hard to achieve a long-term solution for them, for the region and for the wider United Kingdom steel industry. We’ve had enough warm-words from the Tory Government, now is the time for action”.
