Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, responding to Andrea Leadsom describing the Conservatives’ announcement about pausing fracking as a ‘disappointment’, saying that fracking is a ‘huge opportunity’ for the UK and that we will need shale gas for ‘the next several decades’, said:

“The Conservatives usually wait until after elections before breaking their promises but this time they’ve u-turned on their fracking policy within hours of announcing it. Their own Energy Secretary has described pausing fracking as a ‘disappointment’, says fracking is a ‘huge opportunity’ and that the UK will rely on fracked shale gas for decades to come.

“This confirms that the Tories are only temporarily pausing fracking to try to win a few votes. They have no intention of stopping fracking, which Boris Johnson described as ‘glorious news for humanity’.

“Labour will ban fracking. That’s real change.”