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Plaid Cymru’s Peredur Owen Griffiths has criticised the UK Prime Minister for joking about the closure of coal mines in the 1980s.

The Senedd Member for South Wales East said Boris Johnson’s comments about the pit closure policy under Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were “deeply offensive” to the people and communities deeply affected during this time.

Mr Johnson, who laughed whilst making the comments on August 5, said: “Thanks to Margaret Thatcher, who closed so many coalmines across the country, we had a big early start and we’re now moving rapidly away from coal all together.”

Mr Griffiths, who covers constituencies with a large mining heritage such as Caerphilly, Islwyn and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, said: “These vacuous and blundering comments are deeply offensive to the thousands of people I represent that were affected by the mining strike of 1984-85 and the consequences that followed.

“Communities that I represent were torn apart and thousands of families were plunged into poverty because a Tory Government declared war on the miners. Perhaps most unforgivable is that there was no plan or even intention to provide employment to communities after the mass closures.

“Many of these communities were only created to provide accommodation for mine workers so the consequences were catastrophic, particularly along the Heads of Valleys as this area is furthest from urban areas and alternative employment.

“The legacy of this callous policy can be seen today, with poverty, unemployment and a lack of social mobility being handed down through the generations in many cases.”