Ed Miliband has announced that the government will accelerate plans to introduce a permanent ban on fracking in the UK, directly countering Reform UK's promise to revive the controversial practice. The Energy Secretary stated that legislation would be brought forward as part of the North Sea transition plan, due to be published this autumn.
The move would make it significantly harder for any future government to permit fracking, as repealing the ban would require a parliamentary vote. Miliband used his speech at the Labour conference to pledge that the party would send campaigners to nearly 200 constituencies to “send the frackers packing”.
A permanent ban on fracking was a key Labour manifesto commitment, reaffirmed by Miliband earlier this year. The new announcement outlines how the government intends to implement the legislation, protecting the 187 constituencies that sit above shale gas areas from drilling.
Currently, a moratorium exists on fracking, which involves drilling deep into the earth and injecting a mixture of sand, water and chemicals at high speed to extract shale gas. The practice is unpopular in the UK, partly due to its association with earthquakes. The last fracking operation at Preston New Road in Lancashire caused nearly 200 earthquakes in less than a year.
Reform UK supports fracking across Britain, claiming it would reduce energy bills, a claim widely debunked by experts. However, the party has faced internal divisions, with Reform-controlled Lancashire Council stating it would not welcome drilling in the area. Nigel Farage and Richard Tice have both backed fracking, drawing comparisons with the US, but experts note that the UK's higher population density and different geology make fracking more disruptive and less viable.
The Liz Truss government collapsed in 2022 after Miliband, then shadow energy secretary, forced a vote on fracking during an opposition day debate. Truss attempted to whip MPs to support fracking, leading to a rebellion and subsequent political chaos.
