Reform UK Pushes for Fracking Comeback
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been one of the most divisive energy debates in the UK for more than a decade. The process, which extracts gas trapped in underground shale rock, has been banned and revived multiple times by successive governments due to fears over earthquakes, environmental damage, and community backlash. Despite that rocky history, Reform UK is now making it clear: if it comes to power, fracking will be back on the table.
Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader and energy spokesperson, is at the forefront of this push. He argues that leaving Britain’s shale gas untouched would be “grossly financially negligent.” According to Tice, the UK could be sitting on hundreds of billions of pounds worth of energy resources, and he believes it is time to take advantage of them. Reform UK has already urged energy firms to prepare applications for drilling licences, insisting that they should be ready to move quickly if a Reform government is elected. In Tice’s words, the message is simple: “drill, baby, drill.”
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The idea isn’t entirely new. In the early 2010s, then-Prime Minister David Cameron promised a “shale gas revolution” inspired by the boom in the United States. But what followed was years of delays, court challenges, local protests, and tremors at drilling sites that spooked regulators and residents alike. By 2019, fracking was banned under Boris Johnson’s leadership. Liz Truss briefly lifted the ban in 2022, but political fallout—including a rebellion among her own MPs—forced it back into place, and Labour has since vowed to ban fracking permanently.
Still, Reform UK insists things would be different this time. Tice has proposed an immediate lifting of the ban, followed by tightly monitored test wells to confirm the quantity and safety of available gas. If successful, supporters say fracking could bring jobs, boost the economy, and strengthen Britain’s energy independence. Deloitte has even estimated that one gas field in Lincolnshire alone could add up to £140 billion to the economy and create a quarter of a million jobs, though those figures remain unpublished and unverified.
Critics, however, point out that the UK is not the US. Geology here is more complex, available land is limited, and the cost of extraction may never compete with imported gas. Former Energy Minister Charles Hendry has warned that even Reform UK voters might push back, given the history of community resistance and environmental concerns. Energy experts also stress that fracking is unlikely to cut household bills in the short term, especially when compared with cheaper imports and rapidly expanding renewable energy.
Labour, now in government, has doubled down on its opposition. The party promises to make Britain a “clean energy superpower” by 2030, focusing on wind, solar, and other renewable sources. Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has argued that the biggest risk to energy security lies in clinging to fossil fuels.
So the stage is set for a political clash: on one side, Reform UK, betting on untapped shale gas as a way to restore economic strength and energy security; on the other, Labour, steering firmly toward renewables and away from fossil fuels. Whether fracking actually returns to the UK may depend not only on who wins the next election but also on whether the public can be convinced that this time, the gamble will be worth it.
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