Government issues response to Sirius Minerals petition

It was started by a member of the public who called for the Treasury to intervene to secure the future of the company's polyhalite project.

More than 11,000 people have so far signed the petition prompting the Government to issue a response.

A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The Government’s interactions with Sirius Minerals are commercially confidential and it is therefore not possible to comment further on the particulars of dealings between Government and Sirius Minerals. However, we wish to assure all interested parties that all requests for Government financial support are assessed in great detail and must meet necessary assistance criteria. When examining any request for financing, the Government has to assess the potential benefits of a project against the need to protect taxpayers’ money."