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Former miners’ leader Arthur Scargill claims Brexit is a chance to rebuild the country – and reopen coal mines and cotton mills.

Speaking at an event for his Socialist Labour Party in Cardiff, the former general secretary of the NUM said the UK should leave the EU without a prolonged negotiation – and set about rebuilding British manufacturing.

Mr Scargill, who led the union though the miners strike of 1984-5 said that leaving the EU was a positive step for Britain's economy.

“Leaving means the EU would no longer be able to block subsidies to industries here in Wales – the steel industry, the farming industry would be better off,” he said.

“We could practise the concept put forward by Gandhi in India when he said we want homespun industries.”

'Brexit means we can rebuild'

Scargill, who is now leader of the Socialist Labour party, said that before joining the EU up to 80% of Britain’s economy was based in manufacturing.

“We need to re-open the cotton mills, re-open the steel plants and invest in new mining facilities with carbon capture – creating jobs and protecting the environment.”

Mr Scargill also suggested that had Britain not been in the EU at the time, even the miners’ strike would have ended differently.

“We were not allowed to subsidise pits under EU rules unless we were closing them – that’s the kind of policies that were being dictated to us by the European Union.”

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'We should just send them a letter saying goodbye'

But Mr Scargill said the benefits of Brexit are being put at risk by triggering the two year negotiations with the EU.

“There are enormous risks to Theresa May’s strategy, you hand to the EU the power to determine the terms on which we leave,” he said.

“We should just invoke the first clause of Article 50 – and that means we could leave the EU tomorrow, no problem at all.

“No negotiations, just send them a letter saying good bye and we can get on with it.”

'End the free movement of Labour'

Mr Scargill also warned that Brexit should be seen as a chance to end the inflow of economic migrants, who he claims are responsible for large parts of Britain’s economic woes.

“I’m totally opposed to the free movement of labour, all that does is add to the social, political and economic problems we are facing in Britain today,” he says.

“Until we had the Lisbon treaty, we didn’t have the flow of people from the European Union that we have now.

“It is since then that we’ve seen the population of the UK rise – it tells you that it is the flow of migrant labour, not immigrants or Asylum seekers, that is the problem.

“But let me be clear, all the people living in this country at the moment should be guaranteed the right to stay.”

Corbyn is a 'collaborator'

Mr Scargill left the Labour Party in 1996, unhappy with it’s direction under the centrist Tony Blair.

He left to form his own Socialist Labour Party in the same year, and he remains the leader to this day.

And the election of left winger Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t softened his views on his old party.

“Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t got a cat in hell’s chance of doing anything,” he said.

(Image: Daily Post Wales)

“I’ve been friendly with him for 40 years – the problem is he is trying to square the circle with MPs who are fundamentally opposed to him and what he stands for.

“I call it sell out and collaboration – he didn’t secure all those votes in the leadership contest to go against everything he ever said about the EU.”