CLIMATE campaigners have condemned Labour MPs for backing legislation that extends massive subsidies to biomass giant Drax, despite the company’s high carbon emissions and forest destruction.

The law, passed in a committee vote on Monday night, allows indefinite subsidies for wood-burning power stations, undoing stricter 2019 emissions standards that would have disqualified Drax.

In 2024, Drax burned 7.3 million tonnes of wood — much from the total felling of forests in North America and Europe — and received £869m in public subsidies while making nearly £1.1bn in profit.

Of the 15 MPs present at the vote, all 11 Labour members backed the measure, while three Tories and one Lib Dem opposed it.

Campaigners accused the government of greenwashing and prioritising polluters over real climate solutions.

Merry Dickinson of the Stop Burning Trees Coalition said: “The billions spent on Drax could be spent on insulating homes and genuine renewables that would both bring down bills and reduce emissions.”

Biofuelwatch’s Sally Clark said: “There is nothing green or sustainable about Drax’s tree burning.

“This is a catastrophe for people and the planet.”