Doncaster MP Ed Miliband criticises government’s lift on fracking ban in speech

Doncaster North MP and shadow cabinet minister Ed Miliband spoke out against the government’s decision to lift the fracking ban in front of MPs.

He addressed new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Jacob Rees-Mogg in front of MPs in a speech.

He summed up his views in a statement: “Fracking is dangerous and expensive.”

“The Conservatives are lifting the ban on fracking but they can't provide evidence to show it's safe.”

“Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that, "tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest". The Conservatives are going to have to explain to people - including in Yorkshire - why they are ripping up their manifesto promises and imposing a Charter for Earthquakes on the British people.”

“Labour will fight this all the way. We need clean power for Britain - not dirty fracking.”

The Conservative 2019 manifesto stated: “We have ruled out changes to the planning system. We will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely.”

In rebuttal to Miliband’s speech, Rees-Mogg said: “We know that shale gas is safe.”

And then added: “We all have constituents with gas boilers and will for years to come. Do we really want them to be dependent on strange dictatorships that wage war in this world, or do we want to have our own security and supplies?”