Fracking ban reinstated by Rishi Sunak

Just 34 days after the moratorium was lifted by former PM Liz Truss, the ban on fracking has been reinstated by Rishi Sunak.

Commenting on the government reinstating the ban on fracking, Tom Fyans, interim chief executive of CPRE 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.

‘Fracking would have had no impact on people’s energy bills this winter, but it would have risked industrialising the countryside and compromised our climate targets. It has no place in a net-zero future.

‘Integrity means sticking to your manifesto commitments and that’s exactly what this Prime Minister has done on fracking, and rightly so.

‘Let’s hope the new Cabinet takes a fresh approach to environmental policy right across the piece, including on planning and farming, and works to reset the relationship with our sector. What’s more, we’d like to see real solutions to the climate emergency and the current cost of living crisis: including home insulation and a concerted rollout of rooftop renewables.’

Our (short) campaign

CPRE has long campaigned against fracking, and acted quickly to ensure that local voices were heard when the ban on fracking was lifted. Our explosive petition campaign garnered the support of over 80,000 people, and sent a clear message to government: local communities didn’t accept fracking in 2019, and won’t in 2022.

We’d like to thank everyone who took part in this campaign, whether you signed the petition, donated, or shared our campaign. Your support meant that we could quickly apply pressure on the government to rethink its proposals – and it’s thanks to you that fracking is off the table once more.