London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 18, 2026

Rishi Sunak reinstates fracking ban as another Truss policy is reversed

Rishi Sunak reinstates fracking ban as another Truss policy is reversed

Liz Truss lifted the ban on fracking for shale gas the Tories implemented in 2019 as she said it will help with rising energy costs. But the measure was not backed by many Tories whose constituents are against fracking in their areas.

Rishi Sunak is reinstating the ban on fracking that Liz Truss controversially lifted.

During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the new prime minister said he stands "by the manifesto" on fracking.

The Conservative 2019 manifesto placed a moratorium on fracking in England following opposition from environmentalists and local communities.

Mr Sunak's spokesman explicitly confirmed he was reinstating the ban after PMQs.

Ms Truss lifted the ban last month as part of her plan to limit rising energy costs but said fracking would only resume where there was local consent.

Fracking was ultimately what brought her government down after Labour tabled an opposition day motion last Wednesday calling for a draft law to ban fracking.

But the Tory party whips said the motion was actually a vote of confidence in the government and told Conservative MPs they had to vote against it or face being suspended.

However, many of them and their constituents are opposed to fracking and said they could not vote to support fracking, even if the whips saw the vote as something different.

As the vote was taking place there were accusations of "bullying" and "manhandling" of Tory MPs who were being told to vote against the motion.

The following day, Ms Truss stepped down as PM.

Ed Miliband, Labour's shadow climate and net zero secretary, said Mr Sunak voted against Labour's fracking ban last week and is now putting a moratorium on the practice.

"Whatever their latest position, the truth is that the Tories have shown that they cannot be trusted on the issue of fracking," he said.

Ms Truss had to make a number of U-turns after her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng brought in a raft of unfunded tax cuts which unleashed economic turmoil in the UK for weeks.

Mr Sunak has, so far, kept most of those U-turns but the fracking ban is the first Truss policy he has reversed since he became PM on Tuesday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
For 36 Years, He Scammed About 300 Luxury Hotels — Until He Was Caught
England's World Cup Exit Expected to Cost Hospitality and Retail £334 Million
Former ICC Prosecutor Aide Speaks Publicly About Allegations Against Karim Khan
Opposition Raises Questions Over June Heatwave Power Grid Pressures
Mastercard Explores Sale of Majority Stake in UK Payments Operator Vocalink
Boeing Forecasts Global Commercial Aircraft Fleet Will Double by 2045
London GP Surgeries Receive £18 Million to Expand Primary Care Capacity
Health Advisers Recommend Nationwide Meningitis B Vaccination for Teenagers
OECD Warns UK Economy Faces Slower Growth and Weak Productivity
Treasury Places Major Global Cloud Providers Under Direct Financial Oversight
Financial Markets Rally as Shabana Mahmood Emerges as Leading Treasury Candidate
Incoming Government Prepares Thames Water Nationalisation and New North Sea Drilling Approvals
UK Government Plans Deep Cuts to Bilateral Aid for African Nations
United States and Iran Exchange Direct Strikes for Seventh Consecutive Night
Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham Confirmed as Labour Leader Ahead of Downing Street Handover
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
×