Madam Deputy Speaker, our mining communities do not only have a proud past, but with the right leadership and investment, we have an exciting future.  It’s certainly true that after 14 years of Conservative government, Coalfield Communities have been left grappling with relentless austerity and a rigged levelling up agenda, which in practice meant resources never reached the places in my community that needed them most.

Today, I want to talk not only about the challenges our community face, but about the potential within them, the potential to drive economic growth, attract investment, and create jobs that can transform lives and revitalise local economies.  Thirty years after the pit closures, the talent, resilience and ambition of our coalfield communities remains undiminished.

This isn’t just about righting the wrongs of the past. It’s about harnessing the energy, that energy in the community, to build a stronger, greener and more prosperous economy.  I must say something about the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.  To its credit, my government, this Labour government, have already demonstrated their commitment to Coalfield Communities.

For too long, successive governments have denied retired miners and their widows pensions justice. Money that should have provided security in retirement was instead filling the Treasury’s coffers.

This is about the communities that we represent.

And I think we have to give credit that at the recent budget, the current Chancellor righted the wrong on miners pensions on the MPS and delivered Labour’s manifesto commitment on the Mineworkers Pension Scheme surplus. That decision to transfer the MPS Investment Reserve Fund wasn’t just a moral obligation.

It resulted in an economic boost. In my constituency, Madam Deputy Speaker, this decision is injecting £5.6 million into the local economy every year, through increased pension payments for the 3,755 MPS members, retired miners and widows in East Durham. That is money that’s now being spent in our high streets, local shops, cafes, pubs, boosting the economy, creating jobs and supporting growth.

However, this pension justice issue is only partially settled.  There’s a similar issue with the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, which has 40,000 beneficiaries, former British Coal staff and their widows. And since 1994, the government have taken out £3.1 billion from this scheme without contributing a penny.

So, I say to the Minister, respectfully, and specifically to the Treasury, it’s time to release the £2.3 billion BCSSS investment reserve so all former mining staff can receive a pension uplift.  Times of the essence. Thousands of retired miners have already died with 2,000 passing away each year.

That’s from the BCSSS, including many women who were amongst the lowest paid workers in the coal industry. Having worked in pit canteens, like my mother. administration and auxiliary roles. When we say numbers, they’re quite meaningless, perhaps to civil servants and maybe to ministerial advisors.

But I know these, these men and women, men like Eamon Kavanagh, now in his 80s, who was an absolute stalwart, not just of Murton Colliery, but the Seaham Collieries. Bill Waites, a good friend of my late father, and indeed my dear mother, who’s 88 now.  Time is of the essence to settle this issue. It’s about fairness.

It’s about pension justice and putting money back into communities, into communities that powered an industrial revolution that made Britain great, fuelled economic growth and were the foundations on which our nation’s wealth was built.

On a positive note, moving from coal to clean energy, we can lead the green industrial revolution.

The closure of the coal mines marked the end of an era. But just as we powered the last industrial revolution, it’s now time for our communities to lead the next one, as we transition to a clean and green economy. Indeed, in East Durham, we’ve already been laying the foundations for this future. Mine water heating, an innovative, low carbon energy solution is being developed in Seaham and Horden.

If properly supported, it could provide sufficient heat for all properties in the UK’s coalfield areas, offering a sustainable and affordable alternative to traditional energy. Then there’s Power Roll, a start-up based on the Jade Enterprise Park that’s pioneering lightweight, flexible solar technology that doesn’t rely on rare earth metals.

This is a British innovation at its finest, ready for reinvestment to scale up production in a gigafactory. With the right support, we can create new green collar jobs. We’ve heard about white collar and blue collar. Let’s have green collar jobs and position the UK as a global leader in renewable technology.