Britain’s supply of vital industrial minerals is vulnerable to countries such as China because successive British governments have failed to secure them, MPs have warned.
Key minerals such as cobalt and lithium, needed to make goods from electric car batteries to wind turbines, are dominated by Chinese companies, leaving the UK vulnerable to any attempts by Beijing to restrict exports for political reasons.
“While our allies quickly achieved years of preparation, the British response started from scratch,” said members of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.
Their report blamed successive governments for failing to recognize the importance of key minerals to the economy and provide adequate access to them.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, chair of the committee, said: “From F-35 fighter jets to the batteries in our phones, vital minerals are the building blocks of many modern technologies.”
“They are an integral part of everyday life, the green transition and the defense of our nation. But this dependence has led to vulnerability – and Britain is falling behind in the competition for resources.
“China is strategically positioning itself in the middle of the critical mineral supply chain and developing the majority of the world’s refining capacity.”
Ms Kearns added: “For thirty years we have been asleep at the wheel, constantly unaware of the importance of vital minerals and the dangers of our current dependence on autocratic countries.”
“It is especially clear that we must confront the weaknesses generated by our dependence on one state: China.
“These minerals are the driving force of modern life, and if China shuts them down, we will all pay for it.”
Ministers must deliver a “coherent plan” to ensure the supply chain for these key materials remains resilient or risk losing key industries such as the car industry, MPs have said.
Their report accused ministers of failing to identify vulnerabilities in the UK’s supply chain before developing the Critical Minerals Strategy earlier this year.
They said the plan, released in March, lacked urgency. MPs said the government needed to set specific targets for priority industrial sectors, as well as more detailed implementation plans.
Ms Kearns said: “This is about power first and foremost, not trade. The supply of key minerals is a geopolitical rather than a geological issue. The scale of the challenges ahead is enormous, but the need to act now is undeniable.”
Source: I News
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