Boris Johnson is facing a huge backlash from Conservative MPs in the north of England after the government decided to “call in” a controversial plan for a new deep coal mine in Cumbria.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has told local leaders a public inquiry would have to be set up following “increased controversy” over the proposal, according to a letter seen by The Independent.
It comes only days after US climate envoy John Kerry warned UK ministers that coal has “no future”, as pressure builds on No 10 to uphold its authority on carbon reduction ahead of the UN Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November.
Tory backbenchers in the north of the England have reacted with fury to the news, complaining their constituencies could miss out on investment if the mine does not go ahead.
In a statement, the MP for Workington Mark Jenkinson said the move represented a “capitulation to the climate alarmists,” adding his disappointment “cannot be overstated”.
He reportedly told a WhatsApp group for fellow Tory MPs in so-called “red wall” seats in the north that ministers had “bowed to climate terrorists”.
Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, told the WhatsApp group the UK could now be forced to buy steel “from those lovely Chinese people instead”, according to The Sun.
The government had come under fire from climate campaigners for refusing to intervene in the controversial Whitehaven coal mine plan, approved by Cumbria County Council on three separate occasions.
In a letter sent to local leaders, Mr Jenrick’s department explained his change of heart came in light of a recent report from the UK’s independent climate advisers warning the UK must move away from using coal production within the next few decades.
The letter stated: “The secretary of state has decided to call this application in because of the further developments since his original decision.
“The Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for the sixth carbon budget have been published since he was advised on this decision … Furthermore, controversy about the application has increased.”
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick at Downing Street
” height=”2673″ width=”3562″ srcset=”https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/03/12/10/newFile-10.jpg?width=320&auto=webp&quality=75 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/03/12/10/newFile-10.jpg?width=640&auto=webp&quality=75 640w” layout=”responsive” i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> Communities secretary Robert Jenrick at Downing Street (PA)
Local MPs in favour of the mine at Whitehaven have argued that it would create jobs and save on the need to import coking coal for use in British steel production.
However, according to the West Cumbria Mining’s own planning application, 85 per cent of the coal extracted would be exported to Europe.
A 2020 report by the Green Alliance think tank estimated that the mine would produce 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 each year – the equivalent of the emissions from more than 1 million homes.
Opposition parties welcomed the decision to hold an inquiry. Tim Farron, the Lib Dems’ environment spokesperson, said it was “fantastic” news.
Mr Farron said it appeared to show that the government had “at long last finally woken up to the fact that this mine would be an almighty backwards step”.
Labour’s shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said that “the saga of this mine is a symptom of a government that isn’t serious about its climate ambitions”.
“After months of pressure, ministers have finally been forced to act,” he added.
Mr Jenkinson claimed on Twitter that Labour, the Libs Dems and their “activist lawyer friends” were “hell-bent on stopping West Cumbrian progress”.
