Government should think again over new Cumbria coal mine, warns ex-cabinet minister

Alok Sharma, the COP26 President who lost his place in Cabinet during Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle said that going ahead with the mine, which would be the first in a generation, would be bad for jobs and the climate.

Mr Sharma, has previously refused to discuss the plans as they are a “local issue” but has spoken out ahead of this year’s climate summit.

“What I would say to ministers, and frankly, I have said to ministers, is that you have to consider what are you going to get as a result of a decision to go ahead,” he told POLITICO.

It is understood that planning ministers are considering the case and will make a decision by 8 December.

The project would create 2,000 jobs according to West Cumbria Mining, the company applying to build the Woodhouse Colliery.

However, Mr Sharm said that research from the Local Government Association found that 6,000 green jobs could be created in Cumbria by 2030 if it focused on the green energy industry.

“My personal opinion on this is that I think if this is about creating jobs, then, as the Local Government Association has said, you can create a lot more jobs doing this in green sectors."

It came as Rishi Sunak reversed his decision to skip the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt next week, bowing to pressure from activists, his own environment adviser and Boris Johnson.

The Prime Minister accepted there is “no long-term prosperity without action on climate change” as he confirmed he will attend the UN talks in Sharm El Sheikh that start on Sunday.

Downing Street said he changed his mind after making “good progress” ahead of the financial statement, but Labour accused the Prime Minister of having been “dragged kicking and screaming into doing the right thing”.