London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK to build first new coal mine in 30 years

UK to build first new coal mine in 30 years

Go-ahead for Woodhouse Colliery could help Rishi Sunak in a key seat — but it’s already riled climate-conscious Tory MPs.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak handed restive Conservative MPs in England’s north a major win Wednesday, allowing the construction of the U.K.’s first new deep coal mine in three decades.

The approval of the Woodhouse Colliery in West Cumbria by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has been actively resisted by several Tory grandees who highlight the damage the decision will do to the climate and the U.K.’s standing in the world.

But the project also promises 500 jobs in the seat of Copeland, a key constituency in the so-called Red Wall, traditional Labour strongholds that backed the Tories at the last election, areas Sunak is desperate to hold in the next election.

Confirming the move Wednesday night, a spokesperson for Gove's department said he had "agreed to grant planning permission for a new metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria as recommended by the independent planning inspector."

In a bid to assuage environmental concerns, they added: "This coal will be used for the production of steel and would otherwise need to be imported. It will not be used for power generation. The mine seeks to be net zero in its operations and is expected to contribute to local employment and the wider economy."

The department's reasoning document, seeking to explain the decision, said the proposed mine was "likely to be much better placed to mitigate" greenhouse gas emissions when set against "comparative mining operations around the world." Gove agreed that the development "would make a substantial contribution to the national and regional economy and provide significant employment benefits."

But an official from the same department said the decision was purely based on placating MPs in the region and that the government was hamstrung by the need to "prioritize political goals."

Prominent supporters of the new mine include local MP Trudy Harrison, former parliamentary aide to Boris Johnson and now environment minister, and Mark Jenkinson, MP for nearby Workington and one of the Red Wall's most vocal outriders.

But while it might cheer one wing of Sunak's party, it presents a major problem for him among Conservative MPs who have spoken against the mine and see action on climate change as a vote-winning cause.

Another senior Conservative MP said the decision was plainly aimed at placating MPs in the area as "there is no industrial or strategic case for the mine whatsoever" and "approval will severely undermine the U.K.’s climate leadership."

Gove's decision could be challenged in the High Court, with any appeal due within six weeks.

In an apparent effort to play both sides, his department announced Tuesday it would relax planning restrictions on onshore wind turbines, ending an effective ban the Conservatives put in place in 2015.

The mixed bag of energy announcements underlines the domestic bind facing the Conservative Party as they try to cling on to seats in deindustrialized regions gained in 2019 without alienating more affluent areas where they are under pressure from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

The company behind the mine, West Cumbria Mining, has said the availability of domestic coking coal for steel making would boost that industry. But Ron Deelan, who was CEO of British Steel until last year, said the steel industry had no supply issues and instead needed investment in green alternatives to coal, such as hydrogen.

"This is a completely unnecessary step for the British steel industry," he said.

Climate advocates more widely slammed the announcement as hypocritical, self-defeating and dangerously out of line with efforts to secure the climate.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas called the mine “a climate crime against humanity.”

In advance of the decision, former Conservative Cabinet minister Alok Sharma said approval would “damage the U.K.’s hard-won international reputation.” As the president of COP26 in Glasgow last year, Sharma brokered a deal with almost 200 countries to phase down coal power. 

While Cumbrian coal will be used for steelmaking, Lucas said other countries would not make the distinction.

“Why should global emitters like China and India listen to us … while we’re now phasing it back in again? This decision simply confirms that the U.K.’s climate credibility on the world stage is in tatters,” said Lucas. 

Labour's Shadow Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband meanwhile warned that the proposed mine was "no solution to the energy crisis" and "sends a message around the world about this government’s climate hypocrisy —asking others to do as we say not as we do."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×