Liz Truss was facing a revolt by Tory MPs opposed to fracking on Wednesday despite whips saying a crunch Commons vote was a “confidence motion in the Government”.
At least three MPs signalled that they would not back the Government in the showdown vote, including the Prime Minister’s net-zero tsar Chris Skidmore, Conservative MP for Kingswood.
He tweeted on Wednesday: “As the former energy minister who signed Net Zero into law, for the sake of our environment and climate, I cannot personally vote tonight to support fracking and undermine the pledges I made at the 2019 general election.
“I am prepared to face the consequences of my decision.”
Guildford MP Angela Richardson, who has already called for Ms Truss to resign as Prime Minister, retweeted the comments made by Mr Skidmore with the word “Ditto”.
Former minister Tracey Crouch also indicated she could not vote to support fracking and was prepared to lose the Tory whip, also retweeting the Skidmore message with the word “ditto”.
Earlier, Ms Truss put her leadership on the line by making the Labour Commons move on fracking into a confidence vote in the Government.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party was seeking to use a rarely-deployed parliamentary procedure to seize control of the order paper to stage a vote on fracking later this month.
However, Tory whips told backbench MPs: “This is not a motion on fracking.
“This is a confidence motion in the Government.”
Shortly before Prime Minister’s Question, they imposed a “hard” three-line whip on MPs to vote against the Labour move.
But if Tory MPs, many of who oppose fracking, fail to do so it will be in open defiance to Ms Truss’ leadership.
The dozens of Conservatives who have spoken out about the practice face being kicked out of the parliamentary party if they do not back the Government's end to the moratorium in England.
But there were suggestions late on Wednesday that the whips were backing down from the “confidence motion” line, while seeking to maintain a three-line whip.
Whips were urgently calling around to check which backbenchers were threatening not to back the Government.
In the Chamber, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested Labour should win an election if they want to take control of the Commons' order paper.
He said: "Trying to take control of the order paper is parliamentary interweaving rather than actually the substance of the debate.
"And actually to take control of the order paper people need to have won a majority in the election. That is how our system works.
"I think the experience that we had in 2017 to 2019 proved how bad it is for Parliament when the order paper is messed around with."
Conservative MP Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) said the manifesto commitment was not to allow fracking "unless" the evidence showed it could be done safely, adding "we would need, at the very least, a new rapid evidence review about safety".
Mr Rees-Mogg said it was "eminently sensible" to have a "rapid review of the evidence".
Cabinet members who have previously raised concerns about fracking include COP26 President Alok Sharma, Education Secretary Kit Malthouse and Sir Jake Berry.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace opposed plans for a fracking site in his constituency in 2018.
Conservative deputy chief whip Craig Whittaker wrote to Tory MPs, saying: "This is not a motion on fracking. This is a confidence motion in the Government.
"We cannot, under any circumstances, let the Labour Party take control of the order paper and put through their own legislation and whatever other bits of legislation they desire.
"We are voting NO and I reiterate, this is a hard 3 line whip with all slips withdrawn."
The Government amendment supporting giving fracking the go-ahead in areas where local consent is deemed to have been given was also made a three-line whip.
"I know this is difficult for some colleagues, but we simply cannot allow this," Mr Whittaker wrote.
Labour is believed to be preparing online adverts to target every MP who backs giving the controversial shale gas extraction the go ahead.
The Prime Minister’s lifting of a fracking ban imposed in 2019 over earthquake concerns breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to end it without science “categorically” showing it is safe.
However, Ms Truss has argued that the move is needed to end energy dependence on Vladimir Putin’s Russia following his invasion of Ukraine.
But Tory MPs in areas where fracking could occur have reacted angrily, and fear the go-ahead could make their re-election even harder amid dire polling for the party.
There are potential shale reserves across northern England and fracking firms may seek to drill in southern areas where gas might be found.
The Opposition Day Debate on the ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill begins in the Commons at 4pm, with the vote expected at 7pm.
