Fracking causing political tremors again as Ed Miliband takes aim at Reform: The Yorkshire Post says
Prior to Boris Johnson’s Government calling a halt to fracking development in late 2019 – a conveniently-timed decision ahead of that year’s General Election – the issue had been a major one in Yorkshire which was on course to become the home of multiple drilling sites.
Liz Truss's attempts to bring back the shale gas extraction process contributed to shortening her stay as Prime Minister as the Tory party descended into chaos over a vote on the issue in the wake of the disastrous Mini-Budget, with Rishi Sunak swiftly restoring the ban immediately after taking over as Prime Minister.
But now the issue is starting to make political tremors all over again as Labour see an opportunity to draw another dividing line between themselves and Nigel Farage’s Reform.
Ed Miliband has vowed to permanently ban fracking, warning that the drilling is “dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment”.
It follows Reform deputy leader Richard Tice banging the drum for fracking, recently claiming it is “grossly financially negligent to a criminal degree” to not extract shale gas which he says has the potential to be worth “hundreds of billions” to the country.
In contrast, a more measured line is being adopted by Hull and East Yorkshire’s Reform mayor Luke Campbell, whose office has said his position is that “fracking will only be explored in areas where it can be safely implemented and with the consent of local communities”.
Given the widespread hostility of local communities where fracking has been mooted before, that sets a very high bar to pass.