<strong>Letters: </strong>Michael Gove’s decision to approve a new mine is greeted with anger and frustration by <strong>Steven Schofield, Keith Fitton, Dr Chris Haughton, Gary Nethercott</strong> and <strong>Liz Fairhurst</strong>
BBC News
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image copyrightWest Cumbria Mining Company
image captionThe government has decided to hold a public inquiry into plans for a coal mine in Whitehaven
Plans for a coal mine in Cumbria have turned into a global political row.
The plan for the first deep mine in the UK for decades in Whitehaven was approved by Cumbria County Council in October 2020.
However, after an outcry from environmental campaigners including Greenpeace and Greta Thunberg, the council suspended its decision.
Now the government, which had previously decided not to intervene in the project has done just that and said a public inquiry must be held.
IN early December you kindly published my letter on Covid-19 precautions and my message to the Government then was: “Don’t stop now!” As we understand Boris Johnson is about to announce the plans for the relaxation of lockdown on Monday, my message is still “don’t stop now” – or at least “only take the brakes off slowly”. The Prime Minister has said himself that he wants this to be the last lockdown. To achieve this we should be aiming for a Covid zero, or nearly zero, policy. Other countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have achieved this and not only have their Covid-19 statistics (including the tragic toll of deaths) been much better than ours but they have been able to at least partially reopen their economies.