Fay Jones Condemned for Voting Against Bill to Ban Fracking

The Liberal Democrat candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, David Chadwick, has accused the constituency’s Conservative MP Fay Jones of treating the British countryside with contempt after she voted against a bill in Parliament which would have led to a ban on fracking. 

Fracking is currently banned in Wales by the Welsh Government, but the Liberal Democrats have argued that the vote raises serious questions over whether the Conservatives would legalize it if they gained power in Wales and shows a wider disregard for farming, nature and the countryside across the UK.

Areas in the South of Powys near Ystradgynlais had previously been highlighted as potential fracking sites before the 2017 ban came into place.

The vote follows Liz Truss’s Government pushing for fracking rules to be relaxed. Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams also voted against the motion to ban fracking alongside all 13 of his Welsh Conservative colleges. Liz Truss did not record a vote.

Last month the British Geological Society refused to endorse fracking as safe in their report for the government. The House of Commons Environment Committee has previously warned that fracking poses a “risk to groundwater and a risk of polluting surface water”. They warned too that the need for “considerable quantities of water” for fracking “could pose localised risks to water supplies”.  

New research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has also revealed that fracking caused 192 earthquakes in 182 days at the one active site in the UK, equivalent to more than one a day.

Commenting Liberal Democrat candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire David Chadwick said:

“With this motion, sadly defeated by Conservative MPs, we are would have been one step closer to ensuring this destructive practice is never allowed to happen.

“While fracking is still currently banned in Wales thanks to the Welsh Government, this vote raises serious concerns about the intentions of the Conservatives if they were to gain power in Wales.

“It also paints a wider picture of a Conservative party that treats rural areas with contempt and shows a disregard to farming, nature and the countryside.

“Fay Jones and Craig Williams have also gone against another direct manifesto commitment when they stood in 2019 on a commitment not to support fracking.”

“Even the Government admits this kind of drilling won’t bring down energy prices. Instead, there needs to be more investment in renewable energy which is the cleanest and cheapest way to bring down bills, as well as bring down carbon emissions. 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will always champion the environment and we will fight tooth and nail to stop oil and gas giants from tearing up our countryside on both sides of the Welsh border.”