‘Green shoots’ or coalmining past? Welsh town reacts to Labour and Reform’s visions for future

In the final part of a series, we look at the political battle for Bridgend after the closure of its Ford plant

• Battle over solar as Reform UK attacks net zero

• Teesside divided over net zero

• How a refinery closure is hitting jobs and politics

• Why Reform is targeting manufacturing heartlands

It's sad. I think it killed the town," says Debbie, sitting in a cafe in Bridgend and recalling the closure of Ford's south Wales engine plant almost five years ago. There were lots of men and women working there at the end."

During its 40 years of operations, workers at Bridgend Ford produced 22m engines for Ford, Volvo and Jaguar cars, before it closed quietly in September 2020 during ongoing Covid restrictions.