Ministers have been accused of "environmental vandalism" in a furious row over the approval of the first new British coal mine in 30 years.
Coking coal from the site in Cumbria, which was given the green light by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove on Thursday, will be used for steel production in the UK and abroad.
It is expected to extract nearly 2.8 million tonnes of coal per year - and West Cumbrian Mining said 500 staff will be hired at the Whitehaven mine. It hopes 80% of these roles are filled by local staff.
But Labour's Lisa Nandy branded the decision was "short-sighted" as demand for this type of coal was expected to fall by 2050 - and said the Government's claim it would shore up the UK's energy security was "nonsense".
Shadow Minister Alex Sobel suggested the party wouldn't let the plan go ahead if Labour wins the next election.
Today's Commons debate descended into chaos after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle savaged Mr Gove for failing to provide a copy of the statement.
Sir Lindsay suspended proceedings and accused the top Tory of breaching the ministerial code. Mr Gove apologised and said there was "no discourtesy intended".
Approval for the site has been subject to delays, with the decision suspended in early 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Opponents believe the decision is at odds with efforts to battle greenhouse gas emissions and undermines the UK's efforts to get the world to give up on coal.
But supporters argue it will create vital jobs in the area.
Ms Nandy accused the Tories of "environmental vandalism" and said the move flies in the face of the UK's climate commitments.
Big steel producers Tata and British steel are phasing out this kind coal, she said, warning it was only a short-term fix.
"People in Cumbria deserve a long term future," she said.
"But instead they are saddled with a weak, short-sighted, unambitious Government who only two months ago rejected a plan to bring new nuclear to Cumbria which would have created not 500 short-term jobs but 10,000 jobs for the long term."
But local Tory MP Mark Jenkinson said his constituents were flummoxed by why Labour "feel the need to campaign against UK supply chain, against local jobs and for further emissions through importation of this necessary coking coal".
Tory right-winger Lee Anderson, a former miner, accused Labour of "turning their back on the Red Wall and the coal-mining communities".
"I remember a time when the Labour Party... stood shoulder-to-shoulder, side-by-side with the coal mining communities in our great country, but their treachery has taken a new twist," he ranted.
Tory MP for Scunthorpe Holly Mumby-Croft welcomed the news, saying: "I will sleep easier in my bed knowing that we have recovered a UK-based capability to supply what is an incredibly important, specialist kind of coal."
Mr Gove said an independent inspector who looked at the project said there would be "a continued demand for coking coal for a number of decades"
Pressed on criticism from ex-COP26 President Alok Sharma that 85% of the coal from the Cumbrian mine would be exported, he said: "The inspector makes clear in his report that it is the case that by sourcing coal from this mine there will be a beneficial effect in terms of greenhouse gas emissions."
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