Some 25 per cent of the UK’s needs could be met from British supplies, according to BMI. But it is unlikely to ever be economically competitive with China’s state-sponsored supply chains, which the West has allowed to become dominant in recent decades.
“National security always comes at a slight cost,” said Alexander Stafford MP, the co-chair of the APPG on critical metals.
Cornish Lithium also promises to be more significantly more environmentally friendly than other mining methods, which have been linked to water and soil contamination, since it relies on existing pits and geothermal waters.
This could prove valuable as manufacturers look to clean up their supply chains, with talks already under way on creating a UK ‘trust mark’ for clean metals.
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