Jo Stevens, the shadow Welsh secretary, has called on the government to take action to protect jobs at the south Wales chipmaking plant.

Newport Wafer Fab is the UK’s largest chipmaking plant and produces chips that can be found in everyday devices such as kettles, hairdryers, smartphone chargers and cars. Built in 1980, it has since passed through several owners. In 2021, it was sold for £63m to Nexperia, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and owned by partially state-owned Chinese company Wingtech Technology.

This acquisition thrust Newport Wafer Fab into the ongoing ‘chip wars’.

In November 2022, the government blocked the sale following a national security probe. Then business secretary Grant Shapps wrote on social media at the time: “I’ve issued a Final Order under the [National Security and Investment] Act requiring Nexperia to sell at least 85% of Newport Wafer Fab. We welcome foreign trade and investment that supports growth and jobs. But where we identify a risk to national...