New UK Conservative Prime Minister commits to a fracking ban as the UK faces an energy crisis

The new Conservative leader and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a reversal of the decision to lift a moratorium on fracking made by predecessor Liz Truss.

Sunak reversed the removal of the moratorium on fracking made by predecessor Liz Truss, committing to banning fracking in the UK and returning back to the pledge the Conservative party made in 2019.

While Liz Truss was the Prime Minster and leader of the Conservative Party, she said she lifted the moratorium on fracking because the priority should be to strengthen the country’s energy supply.

When Truss made the decision, it was met with criticism by lawmakers in her own party, regardless of the current energy crisis the UK and Europe are facing. 

In 2019, the Conservatives' policy book said that the party would "not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely."