‘Zombie government’: more than half of departments delay key decisions

As an economic crisis looms in the UK, legislation shelved and deadlines missed on energy, online safety and gambling laws

Mining along the west coast of Cumbria goes back to at least the 1600s, and this summer the local community awaited a crucial government decision on whether a new deep coalmine operation would be given the go-ahead.

While proponents of the 165m deep coalmine near Whitehaven say it would create jobs and help power the UK's steel industry, environmental campaigners say it would undermine the government's commitment to meeting climate targets.