Exclusive:Finally we can give justice for the mineworkers and their families - Ed Miliband
Over many generations, these heroes risked their lives to power our country and fuel Britain's industrial progress.
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Hide AdMiners brought more than just wealth to our communities- they built a culture of pride and solidarity that lives today long beyond the pits.
But it has been a national scandal that former miners who should have been able to enjoy a dignified retirement have instead had to fight for the pension settlement they deserve.
Money that could have been passed to the miners and their families has instead been held by the government.
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Hide AdThat’s why Labour made a promise to people in Yorkshire and other former coal mining communities across the UK that we would act on this injustice.
At the Budget, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves honoured that commitment- transferring £1.5 billion of money that rightfully belongs to the miners back to them – the equivalent of an average £29 weekly boost for miners and their families.
I want to put on record my thanks to all the members, their families, the scheme’s trustees, and the National Union of Mineworkers for their relentless campaigning for justice. I also want to pay tribute to the tireless MPs such as Steph Peacock, who kept the flame alive.
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Hide AdToday is a day for campaigners to celebrate this victory, ending a scandal that has prevented retired miners from getting what is rightfully theirs. In the coming months, we will also be reviewing the current sharing agreements for surplus profits made by the scheme.
We’re also looking to the future: in the past coal provided work, and in many cases a job for life for generations of people in Yorkshire, now our sprint for homegrown clean energy will create good jobs here and across the UK, while freeing our country from the grip of dictators and petrostates.
Yorkshire is already seeing the benefits of this – Hornsea 2, for example, the largest offshore wind farm in the world, Skeeby solar farm near Richmond recently went live to power 20,000 homes and at Alexandra Dock in Hull, Siemens produce state of the art wind turbines both for the UK market and overseas.
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Hide AdThese measures combined will put the next generation at the cutting edge of our clean energy future, while boosting our energy security and independence for generations to come.
But as we do so we cannot forget those whose work formed the foundation of this country’s industrial revolution and built his nation to where we are today. That’s why it is so important our retired mineworkers finally receive the money they deserve. It is a basic question of justice- and today this Government honours our promise to deliver it.
Ed Miliband is the Energy Secretary and MP for Doncaster North.
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