Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has held recent discussions with the lithium battery manufacture industry on support for Cornwall Lithium.

To accelerate the growth of domestic capabilities, government has supported several critical mineral projects. Funding has been targeted towards projects that actively build innovative, resilient value chains in the UK and contribute to our clean energy transition.

Cornish Lithium have received support via the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). Government has also backed British Lithium through the ATF, which on 29 June announced a joint venture with Imerys to mine lithium in Cornwall.

Additionally, UK Infrastructure Bank recently announced an equity investment of approximately £24 million to support Cornish Lithium in the development of the UK’s critical minerals supply chain.