LABOUR must declare its position on Britain’s deep coal industry, delegates representing 600,000 workers demanded at the weekend after confirmation that the Tories were willing to close two of the country’s three remaining pits.

Yorkshire and Humber TUC’s regional conference also demanded an investigation into catastrophic delays in a decision over whether public cash could be allocated to save the industry.

Ministers have rejected a bid for £335 million in state aid to save Kellingley colliery in Yorkshire and Thoresby colliery in Nottinghamshire.

The two pits need the investment to open new seams.

The refusal means the pits will close by the end of 2015 with the loss of 1,300 mining jobs, and thousands more in associated industries.

The National Union of Mineworkers moved an emergency motion at the conference.

General secretary Chris Kitchen said a request was made for £70m in state aid early last year, but that government delays saw the investment needed rise to £335m.

The refusal was announced just days before Parliament dissolved for the general election.

Mr Kitchen said that for years successive governments have milked billions of pounds from miners’ pensions funds, under a deal struck in 1996 whereby the government would underwrite any pensions losses, but only if the

Treasury received a cut from any surpluses. Since then there have been no losses.

“In February last year £700m was handed to the government from the miners’ pension fund,” he said. “There will be another £500m this year — that’s £1.2 billion.

“The total handed over is now £5.5bn — so we wanted £335m compared to £5.5bn.”

The motion called on the Labour Party “to make clear, ahead of the general election, its position on the British deep mined coal industry.”

The proposal won unanimous support from the 140 delegates.

If the two pits close Britain’s only remaining deep coalmine will be worker-owned Hatfield in South Yorkshire, which has enough funds to continue operating until summer 2016.