THE Conservative candidate for Whitehaven and Workington is still ‘fully supportive’ of the proposed coal mine in west Cumbria despite the emergence of previously unseen government documents have emerged that ‘contradict’ the government’s case.

The new documents appear to show the then Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) taking a completely different position over the feasibility of UK steel decarbonisation to that expressed by Michael Gove when he controversially approved planning permission for the proposed Cumbria coal mine.

Woodhouse colliery was supposed to help sure up the British steel industry by producing coking coal for use in heavy industry.

However, the documents indicate “high certainty” in the success of decarbonisation through technologies like electric arc furnaces by 2035 lowering the need for coking coal in the UK steel industry.

“This new information blows a gaping hole in the government’s case for supporting the proposed Cumbria coal mine,” Friends of the Earth energy campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said.

But Conservative candidate, Andrew Johnson, said: “I believe that the broader economic case for the mine is still as strong as it ever was.

“Certainly, from West Cumbria mining's perspective, the business case for the mine still stacks up.

“They're still committed to the project. Their investors are still committed to the project and they still want to see it happen.

“The 500 new jobs will deliver all millions of pounds of economic investment that that brings prosperity to the area.

“The sort of the key message really would be is the products of the mine, that the coking coal will be used to support the European steel industry and indeed the global steel industry as well as just British steel.”

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But despite the new documents, Mr Johnson remains confident that the mine will go ahead.

“The mine has got planning consent, all of its approvals are in place and I know that we're obviously awaiting, um, a potential legal outcome for a related scheme in Surrey, but as, as far as I'm concerned, West Cumbria mining are committed to the site,” said Mr Johnson.

“The investors are committed, they're discharging planning conditions as we speak, they're mobilising for works on site, and I think that the economic case of the mine still stacks up.”