The MP for Workington has said that the proposed Whitehaven Colliery is a ‘no-brainer’ despite concerns over its environmental impact.

A report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) this week said that government backing for new oil and coalfields had meant the UK had lost its leadership on climate change.

Committee chairman Lord Deben told the BBC that the proposed new mine was ‘total nonsense’, but despite criticism and legal challenges, Workington MP, Mark Jenkinson said that the mine was the right thing to do.

“I don't agree with the assessment on oil and gas and coal from the Climate Change Committee,” said Mr Jenkinson.

“I mean, unfortunately, rather than have Net Zero as their remit, they appear to have adopted absolute zero as their remit, which is an untenable target. It would mean going backwards by a number of centuries.

Times and Star: Mark Jenkinson has been the MP for Workington since 2019Mark Jenkinson has been the MP for Workington since 2019 (Image: Achieve)“In this country, we have ongoing need for oil, gas, and critical minerals like coking coal for a number of sectors so why should we make ourselves more reliant on foreign sources of those things when we've got domestic sources and we can cut down our carbon footprint by using domestic sources.

“I think it's a no-brainer.”

The proposed mine has faced criticism with Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Against Climate Change (SLACC) launching their legal challenges in January after Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, gave planning permission to the new coking mine in December 2022.

The organisations were also the two main parties opposing the coal mine at the planning inquiry which took place in September 2021.

A High Court judge has given the go ahead for their two legal challenges over the government’s decision and the hearing will last for three days and is to take place in October.

Carlisle MP, John Stevenson said: “Net zero is a journey and you can't do it overnight.

Our energy requirements will be varied and we will still have hydrocarbons but we've got to move towards renewables, including nuclear, it's got to be an energy mix, and I think we've got to be realistic, practical, but also determined to move towards a low carbon economy.”