Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reintroduces fracking ban - reversing controversial move by Liz Truss - as he vows to ‘stand by Conservative manifesto’

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman gave the confirmation after Mr Sunak was pressed on the issue at his first Prime Minister’s Questions.

The PM told the Commons he “stands by” the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto and insisted his Government will deliver on what was agreed at the UN Cop26 Glasgow climate talks.

Conservative former prime minister Liz Truss had lifted the ban, as she argued it would strengthen the country’s energy supply.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) said in the Commons: “Yesterday, he (Rishi Sunak) promised to fix her (Liz Truss) mistakes as well as to uphold the party’s 2019 manifesto.

“So, if he is a man of his word, will he start by reversing the green light she gave to fracking since it’s categorically not been shown to be safe, and instead maintain the moratorium that was pledged in that very manifesto that he promised to uphold?”

The Prime Minister replied: “I have already said I stand by the manifesto on that. But what I would say is that I’m proud that this Government has passed the landmark Environment Act, putting more protections for the natural environment than we have ever had with a clear plan to deliver.

“And I can give the honourable lady my commitment that we will deliver on all those ambitions. We will deliver on what we said at Cop (Cop26) because we care deeply about passing our children an environment in a better state than we found it ourselves.”

The ban on fracking was imposed in 2019, following a 2.9-magnitude earth tremor in the vicinity of Cuadrilla’s fracking site off Preston New Road in Little Plumpton and news of a potential return has been met with fierce opposition locally.

Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Danny Gross said: “This is a fantastic victory for common sense, the environment and local communities across the country who have stood up to the threat of fracking.

“The government must now focus on real solutions to the energy crisis including a street-by-street home insulation programme and developing the UK's huge potential of onshore wind and solar energy production.”