London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 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
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×