The UK government has launched a critical minerals strategy aimed at reducing its reliance on China for crucial materials such as magnets and rare earths. The initiative is part of a broader effort to build resilience against global supply chain disruptions.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that Britain's dependence on foreign suppliers has left the economy vulnerable to external shocks, citing the recent six-week standoff between China and the EU over semiconductor supplies as an example.
As part of the plan, the UK will allocate £50m to boost production at mines in Cornwall, which is home to significant deposits of tungsten and lithium. The move comes after the European Union identified the county's tungsten mine as a potential target for financial support.
The strategy seeks to diversify Britain's critical mineral supply chain by limiting reliance on any one supplier to 60% or less by 2035. This goal is expected to be achieved through increased domestic extraction and processing, with a focus on lithium, nickel, tungsten, and rare earths.
The UK currently produces just 6% of its critical minerals domestically, but aims to expand this to at least 50,000 tonnes of lithium by the same year.
Industry experts note that reducing dependence on China will require significant investment – hundreds of millions of pounds over years. Europe's existing lithium hydroxide refining capacity is also woefully inadequate, requiring £150m in investment and five years to build.
The EU has long recognized its own reliance on foreign suppliers for critical materials, with Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné acknowledging that the bloc lags behind the US in this regard. The UK's cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia earlier this year is seen as a step towards bolstering supply chains and attracting fresh investment to the country.
Boosting domestic production of rare earths and critical minerals is expected to support efforts to lower living costs, while shielding the economy from global disruptions. With its strategic plan in place, the UK is set to play a more prominent role in securing its own vital resource needs – a move seen as crucial for national security.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that Britain's dependence on foreign suppliers has left the economy vulnerable to external shocks, citing the recent six-week standoff between China and the EU over semiconductor supplies as an example.
As part of the plan, the UK will allocate £50m to boost production at mines in Cornwall, which is home to significant deposits of tungsten and lithium. The move comes after the European Union identified the county's tungsten mine as a potential target for financial support.
The strategy seeks to diversify Britain's critical mineral supply chain by limiting reliance on any one supplier to 60% or less by 2035. This goal is expected to be achieved through increased domestic extraction and processing, with a focus on lithium, nickel, tungsten, and rare earths.
The UK currently produces just 6% of its critical minerals domestically, but aims to expand this to at least 50,000 tonnes of lithium by the same year.
Industry experts note that reducing dependence on China will require significant investment – hundreds of millions of pounds over years. Europe's existing lithium hydroxide refining capacity is also woefully inadequate, requiring £150m in investment and five years to build.
The EU has long recognized its own reliance on foreign suppliers for critical materials, with Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné acknowledging that the bloc lags behind the US in this regard. The UK's cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia earlier this year is seen as a step towards bolstering supply chains and attracting fresh investment to the country.
Boosting domestic production of rare earths and critical minerals is expected to support efforts to lower living costs, while shielding the economy from global disruptions. With its strategic plan in place, the UK is set to play a more prominent role in securing its own vital resource needs – a move seen as crucial for national security.
meanwhile the eu's still stuck with its own issues and saudi arabia's like the ultimate wildcard - who knows what strings are being pulled behind the scenes?
They're always talking about lithium and nickel and rare earths, but it sounds so complicated. Can't we just get a simple explanation like "it's made from this one material" or something? 
But it sounds like it's gonna cost a lot of money and take a while. Like, millions of pounds over years... what even is that in human terms? 
And have they thought about the environmental impact of all this increased mining and processing? I'm worried we're just delaying the problem rather than solving it.
The EU's lag behind US on critical minerals? No surprise 
. China's dominance is a big problem! 
. I mean, think about it - they wanna reduce their reliance on China for super important stuff like magnets and rare earths. That's crazy talk! But seriously, it makes sense that they wanna diversify their supply chain. I heard from my friend who works in tech that China has like totally controlled the market for years, so this is a big deal.
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. We'll see how it all plays out, but one thing's for sure: we're not going to be reliant on China anymore 
anyway gotta give it to keir starmer for acknowledging the issue & proposing a plan to reduce our reliance on china... £50m is a good start but i mean come on, that's just a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions needed to get this right 
it's time we take control of our own resources & stop being at the mercy of foreign suppliers 
fingers crossed for a more sustainable future 
i mean idk what the eu was thinking by only investing 150 million in europe's lithium capacity that sounds like a drop in the ocean compared to china's real investment