Rishi Sunak has reimposed the ban on fracking controversially lifted by Liz Truss.
The newly-appointed prime minister said he “stood by” the Conservatives 2019 manifesto pledge in his first major shift away from his predecessor’s policy agenda.
The ban on fracking ultimately brought down the curtain on the Truss premiership after a Tory revolt amid farcical scenes in the Commons last week.
The former prime minister angered her own MPs, and independent experts, by arguing the soaring price of gas had created an opportunity for the UK to exploit its underground reserves.
The claim was dismissed by the head of a government watchdog, who warned it would not ease the UK’s energy crisis and could cause “serious” environmental damage.
The 2019 election manifesto promised the moratorium would continue unless scientific evidence had found the risk of earthquakes has been reduced – but a review found it had not.
