Boris Johnson has suggested that Britain should start mining and burning its own coal again, despite the climate emergency.
The prime minister said it "makes no sense" for Britain to be importing coal from abroad for use in steelmaking "when we have our own domestic resources".
While the UK has largely abandoned coal for for power generation, slashing CO2 emissions, it still uses some in steelmaking, where the substance is harder to cut out.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies