The government will fast-track legislation to permanently ban fracking in the UK, in a move designed to block Reform UK’s pledge to revive the controversial practice.
Ed Miliband, energy secretary, confirmed the ban will be introduced as part of the North Sea transition plan, due this autumn. Any future attempt to restart fracking would require a parliamentary repeal, forcing MPs — many representing constituencies above shale gas deposits — to vote in favour of drilling.
Addressing Labour’s party conference, Miliband said campaigners would be sent to nearly 200 constituencies affected by shale gas reserves to mobilise opposition.
“We will legislate at the earliest opportunity to protect communities from fracking,” he said.
A permanent ban was already a Labour manifesto commitment, but Wednesday’s announcement set out the legislative route, underscoring Labour’s strategy to neutralise Reform’s energy platform.
The UK currently operates under a moratorium on fracking, which involves blasting a mixture of sand, water and chemicals into shale rock to release gas. The method has been widely criticised for its environmental risks, particularly the risk of earthquakes.
The last UK fracking project, at Preston New Road in Lancashire, triggered nearly 200 tremors in under a year before being halted.
Reform UK leaders Nigel Farage and Richard Tice have argued that fracking could reduce energy bills, but experts have repeatedly rejected the claim, citing geological challenges and limited resource potential in the UK compared to the US.
Fracking remains unpopular with the public, and divisions have already emerged within Reform. Lancashire council, under Reform control, has stated it would not welcome drilling in the county.
The issue has a history of destabilising governments. In 2022, Liz Truss’s premiership faltered after she attempted to push through fracking support, only for her MPs to rebel during a Labour-led vote on the issue — a moment of chaos that hastened her downfall.
While Reform has sought to draw parallels with the American shale boom, experts note that the UK’s higher population density and faulted geology make extraction more disruptive, less efficient and far riskier.
By legislating now, Labour aims to lock in its pledge, protect communities overlying shale gas, and draw a sharp dividing line with Reform ahead of key local and national contests.
