LONDON: The UK announced on Thursday that it would introduce legislation to ban new coal mines, as the Labour government ramps up its plans to make Britain a clean energy leader. The government said it would unveil the new law to restrict the future licensing of new coal mines “as soon as possible”, describing it as a “crucial step” to tackling climate change. Environmental groups hailed the decision, which comes after Britain’s last coal-fired power station Ratcliffe-on-Soar closed in October, making the UK the first G7 country to end its reliance on the fossil fuel for electricity. In a landmark ruling in September, British courts overturned a permit given by the previous Conservative government to a project in Whitehaven, Cumbria, which had been set to become the country’s first new coal mine for 30 years. It would have mined metallurgical coal used solely for steelmaking. Energy minister Michael Shanks said in a statement that “consigning coal power to the past” would “pave the way for a clean, secure energy system that will protect billpayers and create a new generation of skilled workers”. Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Tony Bosworth described Thursday’s decision as “great news”, adding in a statement that it “should finally consign coal to the history books”.