Boris Johnson says that Margaret Thatcher gave the UK “a big early start” in moving away from coal-fired power by closing so many coal mines.
“We’re now down to less than 2%,” the prime minister stated. “I think it’s I% of our energy comes from coal”.
He was speaking on a visit to an offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth (North East of Scotland).
The SNP slammed the Prime Minister, claiming he was “completely out of touch with Scotland” by making unbelievably crass jokes at the expense of our mining communities.
Labour said that the comments were “shameful” and should be apologised for.
During the two-day visit to Scotland, Officials were eager to know how preparations were going with the upcoming Glasgow climate summit due to take place in November.
When asked about a deadline for ending fossil fuel extraction, he said that the UK had already transitioned away from coal in his lifetime and suggested Mrs. Thatcher may have inadvertently got the ball rolling.
“Thanks to Margaret Thatcher, who closed so many coal mines across the country” back in her time as Prime Minister, “we had a big early start and are now moving rapidly away from coal altogether”.
He is reported to have laughed and mocked reporters, “I thought that would get you going”.
He said there is a “massive opportunity” to increase the use of more environmentally-friendly technologies.
But he also made it clear that there needs to be a “smooth and sensible” transition from oil and gas to greener forms of power.
In 1984, there were 170 working collieries in Britain employing more than 190,000 people but by 2015 they had all closed their doors for good.
Mrs. Thatcher’s announcement that she planned to close 20 of the mines led to a year-long miners’ dispute and was met with fierce opposition from mining communities.
In response to the comments, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford tweeted that Mrs. Thatcher had “devastated communities across Scotland”.
He wrote: “Many still bear the scars of brutal Tory cuts”.
Lisa Nandy, Shadow Foreign Secretary, has called on the prime minister to issue an apology for his comments.
In a statement she described them as “shameful” and said they “reveal the Conservative party’s utter disregard for the communities still scarred by Thatcher’s closure of the mines and failure to deliver good jobs in their place”.
She added, “It is vital that a green transition is a fair transition”.
