Rishi Sunak today BROUGHT BACK England’s fracking ban in a Tory O-turn - after the divisive drilling was allowed for just 48 days.
The new Prime Minister U-turned on Liz Truss ’s original U-turn, bringing the party full circle back to its 2019 manifesto “moratorium” on shale gas extraction.
The PM’s official spokesman gave the confirmation after Mr Sunak was pressed on the issue at his first Prime Minister's Questions.
Mr Sunak had told the Commons he "stands by" the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto - and insisted his Government will deliver on what was agreed at the UN Cop26 Glasgow climate talks.
Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Danny Gross branded it a “fantastic victory for common sense, the environment and local communities across the country”.
He added: “The government must now focus on real solutions to the energy crisis including a street-by-street home insulation programme and developing the UK's huge potential of onshore wind and solar energy production.”
Fracking involves extracting gas from rocks and breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure.
A “moratorium” was imposed in 2019 after experts said it was not possible to accurately model earthquakes linked to the process.
The Tory manifesto in 2019 pledged: “We will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely.”
But in her leadership campaign, Liz Truss said "I support exploring fracking in parts of the United Kingdom where that can be done".
And on September 8 she formally lifted the ban, despite the British Geological Survey (BGS) warning there were still “significant existing knowledge gaps”.
Amid a Tory backlash, she insisted it would only be done with local consent.
But asked by a reporter today if fracking was "back in the bin", the new PM’s official spokesman said "That's correct."
"You've got the position set out in the manifesto, which the prime minister pointed to," the spokesman told reporters.
"Obviously it'll be for BEIS (the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department) to come forward with a bit more detail on that."
Asked why Mr Sunak himself backed fracking with local consent during the summer leadership campaign, his Press Secretary replied: “It’s one of the commitments that was made during the manifesto.
“And the Prime Minister is committed to the commitment.”
Tom Fyans of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: “The new Prime Minister has seen sense and done away with the dangerous and reckless decision of his predecessor to lift the ban on fracking.
“Integrity means sticking to your manifesto commitments and that’s exactly what this Prime Minister has done on fracking, and rightly so.”
Shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said: "Last week Rishi Sunak voted against Labour's fracking ban, but this week his spokespeople tell us he is in favour of the temporary moratorium on fracking in the Conservative manifesto.
"Whatever their latest position, the truth is that the Tories have shown that they cannot be trusted on the issue of fracking. The only way to guarantee that fracking will be banned for good is to elect a Labour government.
"And by doubling down today on the onshore wind ban, Rishi Sunak is showing that he offers more of the same after 12 years of failed Conservative energy policy, which has made energy bills too high for families and weakened Britain's energy security."
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) said in the Commons: "Yesterday, he (Rishi Sunak) promised to fix her (Liz Truss) mistakes as well as to uphold the party's 2019 manifesto.
"So, if he is a man of his word, will he start by reversing the green light she gave to fracking since it's categorically not been shown to be safe, and instead maintain the moratorium that was pledged in that very manifesto that he promised to uphold?"
The Prime Minister replied: "I have already said I stand by the manifesto on that. But what I would say is that I'm proud that this Government has passed the landmark Environment Act, putting more protections for the natural environment than we have ever had with a clear plan to deliver.
"And I can give the honourable lady my commitment that we will deliver on all those ambitions. We will deliver on what we said at Cop (Cop26) because we care deeply about passing our children an environment in a better state than we found it ourselves."
