London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Some Tory MPs in talks with Labour to block fracking plans

Some Tory MPs in talks with Labour to block fracking plans

Some Conservative MPs are in talks with opposition parties to try to block the government's fracking plans.

Currently, MPs are not set to get a vote on the government's pledge to lift the ban on fracking in England.

But Labour want to force a vote on the issue, while some Tory MPs have told the BBC they would like this too.

Fracking was halted in 2019, following opposition from environmentalists and local concerns over earth tremors.

However, last month the government ended the ban in England as part of its plan to limit rising energy costs.

The controversial practice involves drilling into the earth to recover oil and gas from shale rock.

A number of Conservatives told the BBC they had spoken to opposition parties about what mechanism they could use to force the government to change its plans.

A Labour source also confirmed they had spoken to some backbench Conservative MPs who are willing to work together on "opposing fracking".

Some Conservatives said they believe dozens of their colleagues have raised concerns with No 10 and the prime minister about her plans to bring back fracking where there is "local consent".

Some of them have argued publicly, and others privately, that the government has not clarified how it could prove "local consent".

Others have argued that the plans go against the 2019 Conservative manifesto commitment to maintain the ban on fracking unless the science had changed to show it can be done safely.

In the past, a ban was placed on fracking after it triggered seismic events or earthquakes that breached a threshold set by the government.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance from fracking appears to be "in the national interest" given the desire to produce more energy domestically since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Cross-party MPs who oppose fracking are looking for a parliamentary mechanism they could use to force MPs to get a formal vote on the issue - and use this to try and persuade the government to change its plans.

One idea being considered by opposition parties and Tory rebels is an amendment to future energy or planning bills - draft laws - blocking fracking from taking place, that MPs could then have the opportunity to vote for or against.

If enough Tory MPs voted with the opposition parties, this could overturn the government's majority meaning the amendment would pass.

However, amendments to proposed laws do not always get selected by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Another option being considered is Labour tabling an opposition day debate on the issue, though some rebel Tory MPs could be less likely to vote for a Labour motion than an amendment to a government bill.

While an opposition day vote would not be binding, if it was backed by enough Tory MPs it could be used to show a lack of support for fracking in Parliament.

Opposition sources have told the BBC that fracking is just one policy area where they are attempting to tap into opportunities to overturn the government's plans by getting enough Tory MPs to vote with them instead which, if successful, would scupper the government's parliamentary majority.

Given the number of Tory MPs publicly - and privately - opposing fracking, some have told the BBC they feel the government may eventually see this as one fight too many after weeks of infighting within the Tory party over the government's economic plans.

Earlier this month, the government was forced to perform a U-turn over its plans to scrap the top rate of income tax for the highest earners after widespread opposition from within the Tory party.

Meanwhile, there is currently a live debate in the party over whether or not the government should raise benefits in line with prices or wages, which would be lower.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×