Jake Richards MP: The Government will ban fracking for good

Communities here know what it means to stand up against unsafe and unwanted energy projects. In Woodsetts and Harthill, residents fought tirelessly to prevent fracking from coming to their doorstep and I’m pleased that the government’s latest commitment, to ban the practice all together, means that this will never be necessary again.

Fracking causes an unmeasurable amount of disturbance and has repeatedly been shown to be dangerous, unsafe and deeply harmful to the environment. When it was last attempted in the UK, at a site in Lancashire, it triggered nearly 200 earthquakes in less than a year. That experience leaves no doubt in my mind that fracking is simply not worth the risk.

This Government has set out a clear intent to protect local communities and the natural environment, launching a campaign to “Send the Frackers Packing” in nearly 200 constituencies nationally. While others, like Reform UK and the Conservatives, would hand our countryside over to corporations for risky fossil fuel extraction, this government is committed to safeguarding areas like Woodsetts and Harthill from dangerous and unnecessary operations.

Before I was elected, I made a promise to constituents that we would protect our local communities and ban fracking. I am proud to have delivered on this promise.