Upscaling minister Michael Gove approves a controversial new coal mine, sparking outrage from environmentalists Cumbria.
After years of government delays, he granted planning permission for the first new site in the UK in 30 years.
The Department of Upgrading, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) said the coal would be used to produce steel rather than electricity.
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Friends of the Earth described it as a “shocking decision” that would undermine the fight against the climate crisis without displacing Russian coal.
Supporters of whitehaven fringe coking coal mines Cumbriawhich is expected to extract nearly 2.8 million tons a year, and says it will create about 500 jobs.
DLUHC said Mr Gove “agreed to grant planning permission for the Cumbria On the advice of the independent planning inspector”.
“The coal will be used to produce steel that would otherwise need to be imported. It will not be used to generate electricity,” a statement read.
“The mine seeks to achieve net zero emissions from its operations and is expected to contribute to local employment and the wider economy.”
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Conservative MP Lord Durburn, chair of the climate change committee that advises the UK government, denounced the decision as undermining Britain’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions.
“Today’s decision reduces the UK’s hard-won global climate influence,” he said.
It also “sends the completely wrong signal to other countries about the UK’s climate priorities”, he said
Labour’s shadow climate secretary, Ed Miliband, said it “will not solve the energy crisis and provide secure long-term jobs and marks the abandonment of all pretense of climate leadership by this government”.
“Bring the mine to life by further cementing Rishi Sunak as an obsolete fossil fuel PM in the renewable age,” the MP said.
The decision comes more than a year after the UK hosted the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, which lobbied other countries to “put coal in history”.
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The move could also anger some Conservative MPs, including former cabinet minister Alok Sharma, who had called for the mine to be blocked.
Mr Sharma, who is chair of Cop26, warned at the weekend that this would “not only be a step backwards for UK climate action, but also damage the UK’s hard-won international reputation”.
Friends of the Earth campaigner Tony Bosworth said on Wednesday: “Against all the evidence, the approval of this mine is a misguided and seriously damaging mistake.
“The mine is not needed, will increase global climate emissions and will not replace Russian coal.”
