The return of fracking will be explored as part of plans to boost the UK’s energy security following the invasion of Ukraine, No 10 has said.
An “energy security strategy”, to be set out by Boris Johnson next week, will consider lifting the current ban on drilling for shale gas.
But business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has swerved a question from Labour on whether the government was considering the return of fracking.
Mr Kwarteng read out a written ministerial statement from 2019, saying it remained the government position: “The government has always been clear that we will take a precautionary approach, and support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a safe and sustainable way.”
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has called on the government to maintain the ban on fracking “no ifs no buts”, warning it would take “decades to come on stream” and would not make a difference to the price paid by consumers.
The shadow secretary for climate change also urged the government to “end the effective moratorium on on-shore wind” and to “ramp up on our offshore wind.”
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