UK fracking ban to be brought forward as Labour counters Reform promise

"Ed Miliband has announced that the government is to speed up its plans to permanently ban fracking in the UK, in order to counter the Reform party's promises to bring back the controversial practice. The energy secretary said he would put forward legislation as part of the North Sea transition plan which is to be published this autumn. This means that in order to allow fracking, a future government would have to repeal the legislation with a parliamentary vote."

"Miliband used his speech at the Labour conference to say the party will send campaigners to nearly 200 constituencies to send the frackers packing. A permanent ban on fracking had been a key pledge in Labour's election manifesto and had been reaffirmed by Miliband earlier this year, but Wednesday's announcement laid out how the government would bring in the legislation. Miliband said he would legislate to ban fracking at the earliest opportunity to protect the 187 constituencies that sit above shale gas areas from drilling."

"There is a moratorium on the controversial energy extraction method, which involves drilling deep into the earth then shooting at high speed a mixture of sand, water and chemicals to dislodge shale gas. Reform UK supports fracking across Britain, but it is unpopular as it causes earthquakes. The last time fracking was tried in the UK, at Preston New Road in Lancashire, it resulted in nearly 200 earthquakes in less than a year."

Ed Miliband announced an accelerated plan to legislate a permanent ban on fracking in the UK, to be included in the North Sea transition plan this autumn. The measure would require a future government to repeal the ban by parliamentary vote, making reversal politically difficult in constituencies above shale gas. Labour plans to deploy campaigners to nearly 200 constituencies and aims to protect 187 constituencies that overlie shale gas. A moratorium on fracking remains in place. Fracking involves high-pressure injection of sand, water and chemicals, can trigger earthquakes, and Reform UK’s claim that it would cut bills has been widely debunked.

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