Incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is inheriting a Labour manifesto pledge to ban fracking outright – but exclusive data shows that 79 places across England could still technically be drilled under a loophole that has allowed so-called ‘mini fracking’ to continue.
The data, obtained by Channel 4 News, reveals the scale of the challenge facing Burnham after he takes office. In 2019, the then Conservative government introduced a moratorium on fracking in England, but campaigners say a loophole has permitted smaller-scale versions of the technique to proceed.
“Exclusive data shows 79 English sites still at risk as Burnham inherits fracking ban pledge.”
The fracking issue is just one front in a broader energy policy confrontation. Simultaneously, Burnham is under intensifying pressure to change the UK government’s approach to North Sea oil and gas drilling, as the Strait of Hormuz closes again, threatening energy supplies. Research published in the New Statesman argues that drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields will fail as a long-term strategy, undercutting the argument that the focus should be on cutting energy bills rather than emissions.
Burnham must now decide how to reconcile his party’s fracking ban with the reality of 79 sites still at risk, and whether to alter course on North Sea extraction amid the latest geopolitical crisis. The choices he makes in his first weeks will define whether the UK pursues a cleaner energy path or remains tethered to fossil fuels that research suggests are a dead end.