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Ministers 'misled' miners over EU aid

Energy Secretary Ed Davey claimed saving troubled coal miners would break competition rules

Ministers were accused yesterday of misleading miners by making false claims that European Union state aid rules could stop them saving two troubled coal mines.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey has been among Con-Dem ministers to claim that saving the Kellingley and Thoresby pits could break competition rules.

But the Star can reveal that senior European Commission officials have stated that is categorically not the case.

The commission’s energy and competition directorates gave the assurances to National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) leaders and Labour MEP Linda McAvan at three recent meetings in Brussels.

Officials were clear the government could provide cash to keep the mines open until at least 2018 — not just for the “managed closures” announced by Business Minister Michael Fallon on Thursday.

NUM general secretary Chris Kitchen said it proved Con-Dem ministers “misled us into believing that state aid was not an option because the EU would block it.”

He proclaimed: “We’ve taken that excuse away from them.

“We were told categorically that it doesn’t really matter whether EU will accept it or not.

“The fact is the money comes from the UK government who are refusing to put another penny into the mining industry.”

European Commission spokesman for competition Antoine Colombani refused to confirm its position as “contacts with UK authorities on this matter are ongoing.”

Yorkshire and Humber MEP Ms McAvan insisted however that the commission told her “very clearly that EU law is flexible.”

“The government cannot use the EU as an excuse not to support the pits past 2015,” she told the Star.

“It’s all about whether the fovernment is prepared to put the money on the table to assist the mines. It’s about political will.

“If they’re not prepared to assist then they’ve got to take responsibility for that.”

The Star asked a government spokesman whether ministers accepted that European Union state aid rules did not stop them assisting two of the last three deep pit coal mines in Britain.

And he admitted: “It sort of doesn’t matter what the understanding of the rules is. We can’t justify putting any more money in.”

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