Fracking moratorium defeated in parliament

Calls for a moratorium on fracking were defeated in parliament this week by 308 votes to 52. Most Labour MPs abstained in the vote.

That was despite a warning from Westminster’s environmental audit committee ahead of the debate on fracking in the Tories’ Infrastructure Bill.

It said fracking should be put on hold because “it is incompatible with climate change targets and could pose significant localised environmental risks to public health”.

Moves to devolve licensing to Scotland were also blocked, puncturing one of David Cameron’s devolution promises last week. But the Scottish government has powers to block fracking using the planning process.

Despite posturing last weekend, saying he would ban fracking in Scotland if he was elected first minister, Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy didn’t even turn up to vote.

That a Labour amendment for some tighter rules passed unopposed says all you need to know about those rules. It supported fracking.