Imminent Cumbria coalmine decision likely to cause new Tory split

Expected approval for coalmine opening could provoke backlash from party's many opposing voices

Michael Gove could green light the first UK coalmine in a generation as soon as Wednesday, in a move likely to open up new dividing lines among Conservatives.

A number of high-profile Tories have previously spoken out against the plans for a new mine outside Whitehaven in Cumbria, including former cabinet ministers Kwasi Kwarteng, Alok Sharma, Robert Buckland and Tobias Ellwood.