On October 1, 2025, Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, took to the stage at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool with a message that was both direct and defiant: the Labour government would move to introduce a permanent, total ban on fracking across England. It was a moment charged with political significance, environmental urgency, and a dash of old-fashioned British drama.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a technique that involves drilling into shale rock and injecting a high-pressure mix of water, sand, and chemicals to release trapped gas. Since its introduction to the UK energy debate, fracking has been dogged by controversy—concerns over earth tremors, environmental risks, and fierce opposition from local communities have led to repeated suspensions and heated arguments in Parliament. The most recent moratorium, reinstated by Rishi Sunak in 2022 after a brief lifting by Liz Truss, is now set to become a permanent fixture under Labour's new law.
"I am about to announce something you have been calling for and campaigning on, which is to ban fracking for good. You called for it, I’m going to do it, thank you for your campaigning," Miliband told campaigners from the grassroots group 38 Degrees, whose petition to give local communities greater influence in fracking decisions had garnered over 80,000 signatures. The moment was celebrated by environmental groups and activists who had spent years fighting to keep fracking at bay. Veronica Hawking, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, called it "an amazing result for our environment, our local communities, and the thousands of committed people and groups right across the country who’ve spent years fighting for fracking to be banned for good."
But this was more than just a victory lap for environmentalists. Miliband's speech was also a clear shot across the bow at Reform UK, a party that has surged in the polls and openly supports fracking. Reform's leaders, including Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, have revived slogans like "drill, baby, drill" and promised to bring back fracking if they win the next general election. Tice, for his part, has argued that it would be "grossly financially negligent to a criminal degree to leave that value underground and not to extract it," referencing the potentially vast reserves of shale gas beneath British soil.
Miliband was unsparing in his criticism of Reform UK, branding them a "job-destroying, bill-raising, poverty-driving, science-denying, Putin-appeasing, young-people betraying bunch of ideological extremists." He accused Farage's party of waging a "culture war" imported from the United States and driven by "rich and powerful interests." The Energy Secretary insisted, "fracking will not take a penny off bills, it will not create long-term sustainable jobs, it will trash our climate commitments. It is dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment." He urged Labour members to "send this bunch of frackers packing."
The political stakes could hardly be higher. Reform UK has threatened to "wage war" on renewables developers and pledged to scrap the UK's net zero carbon target, which is currently supported by a majority of the public according to polling. In fact, Miliband's campaign is not just about fracking, but about defending what he called "British climate leadership" and Labour's commitment to decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030, as well as reaching net zero by 2050. The Labour government has also announced plans to expand Great British Energy's solar panel scheme for schools and hospitals, boost clean energy jobs, and improve workers' rights in the sector.
For many in the environmental movement, this is a long-awaited turning point. Angharad Hopkinson of Greenpeace UK said, "The Government is absolutely right to ban fracking for good. After years of hype, all this industry has brought to the UK are earthquakes and a couple of holes in a muddy field in Lancashire. Fracking is polluting, deeply unpopular, and even if it could be made to work in the UK, it'll do nothing to lower energy bills. Ministers are right to focus on renewable energy as our best chance to create jobs, boost our energy independence and protect households from the turbulence of gas markets."
Public opinion appears to be firmly on the side of a ban. According to YouGov polling, 51% of the general public oppose fracking, compared to just 24% who support it and 25% who are unsure. Even among Reform UK voters, less than half support the practice. The issue is especially potent in regions like Scotland, the North of England, the Midlands, and the South, where new fracking sites would have the most direct impact. Political analysts suggest that Labour's announcement could help win back disenchanted voters who might otherwise be tempted by Reform's populist rhetoric.
Yet, the timing of Miliband's announcement was no accident. It came on the very day that energy bills for the average UK household rose by 2%, from £1,720 to £1,755 per year, as Ofgem's latest price cap adjustment took effect. The rising cost of energy has been a persistent political headache, with Miliband blaming high bills on Britain's reliance on fossil fuels and the ongoing impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Relying on fossil fuels left Britain at the mercy of petrostates and dictators," he said during his speech.
Labour ministers have also floated the idea of removing policy costs—government taxes that fund environmental and social schemes—from electricity bills to make power cheaper. Energy Minister Michael Shanks said, "I think it's really important to squeeze as much money out of bills as we can," acknowledging the strong argument for moving some costs onto gas rather than electricity. The Climate Change Committee has long recommended such a move to help households feel the benefits of the net zero transition and to encourage the uptake of electric technologies like heat pumps.
Meanwhile, the battle lines with Reform UK are becoming ever sharper. Farage and his allies argue that scrapping the net zero target could save taxpayers £45 billion a year and unlock what they call "hundreds of billions of energy treasure" in the form of shale gas. But environmentalists, Labour supporters, and many ordinary voters remain unconvinced—wary of the environmental risks and skeptical that fracking would make a meaningful dent in energy bills or boost long-term employment.
Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, praised the government's clarity: "By providing a clear vision for our energy future based on helping people, not on ignoring the science, the Energy Secretary has sent an important message that the government is listening to communities. Expanding our clean energy infrastructure with the promise of hundreds of thousands of new jobs will bring down energy bills, put more money in people’s pockets, revive our economy and safeguard the planet."
With the Labour government promising to legislate at the earliest opportunity and launch a national campaign against fracking, the debate is far from over. But for now, campaigners who have spent years fighting for a ban are savoring a rare and decisive victory, while the political battle over Britain’s energy future heats up once again.
