Devon MP demands full fracking ban

Devon MP demands full fracking ban

The Government should close the loophole that still allows small-scale fracking in England and bring in a full ban, a Devon MP has told Parliament.

Richard Foord, MP for the Honiton & Sidmouth constituency, made the case in a Commons debate on a full fracking ban on Tuesday 15 September.

The debate was secured by his Liberal Democrat colleague Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate. Replying, Energy Minister Martin McCluskey said lower-volume fracking was different from fracking for shale gas, and that there was no clear evidence it caused tremors felt at the surface.

Mr Foord said to fellow MPs in the debate:

"In mid and east Devon, protecting our natural environment is a priority for thousands of people who have corresponded with me on the subject. Reports of nature in decline, and of the loss of our precious wildlife and biodiversity, are very concerning to them."

The legal definition of fracking turns on the volume of fluid pumped into the rock: more than 1,000 cubic metres at each stage, or 10,000 in total. Smaller operations, such as "proppant squeeze", fall outside the moratorium that has applied in England since 2019.

Mr Foord said:

"A full ban on fracking would provide certainty to our communities. The Minister for Energy has previously argued that the Government would need 'objective evidence' in order to close those loopholes and include low-volume fracking in the ban. What additional evidence does the Government need?"

He told the House: "Yes, we will continue to need some oil and gas in the years to come, but why would anyone want us to hitch ourselves to the slow wagons—of which fracking is one—as other countries gallop away behind the technologies of the future?"

Mr Foord concluded:

"Climate change is one of the gravest issues that our generation of politicians has been sent to this House to tackle. Let us not make a catastrophic mistake."

The Government promised to ban fracking in law through its Energy Independence Bill, announced in the King's Speech in May.

The Met Office has confirmed that summer 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, and that climate change made it around 130 times more likely. Renewables generated over 52% of UK electricity in 2025; a record share. Liberal Democrat policy, agreed at the party's 2025 conference, is to ban all new onshore fossil fuel production, including fracking.

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