Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has announced the Labour government's plan to introduce legislation that would permanently ban fracking across the United Kingdom. The announcement, made during Miliband's speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, represents a significant escalation from the current moratorium that has been in place since 2019. The proposed law would enshrine the prohibition in statute, making it substantially more difficult for future governments to reverse the policy.

Fracking, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, involves drilling deep into the earth and injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals to fracture shale rock and release natural gas. The practice has proven controversial in Britain due to concerns about seismic activity, with the Oil and Gas Authority concluding in 2019 that accurately predicting earthquake risks was not possible. The temporary ban was briefly lifted under Prime Minister Liz Truss in 2022 but was quickly reinstated by her successor, Rishi Sunak.

The Labour government's move sets up a direct confrontation with Reform UK, which has championed the revival of fracking as part of its energy platform. Miliband stated the legislation would be introduced "at the earliest opportunity" as part of the North Sea transition plan scheduled for publication this autumn. The energy secretary emphasized that the ban would protect the 187 constituencies situated above shale gas areas from potential drilling operations.

Environmental campaigners have welcomed the announcement, with Veronica Hawking, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, calling 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." The legislation would require any future government seeking to reverse the ban to secure parliamentary approval, a politically challenging task given the widespread opposition to fracking in affected constituencies.

London's Metropolitan Police has reversed its longstanding position on grooming gangs in the capital, acknowledging for the first time that it has multiple active investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation. The shift came after an investigation by MyLondon and The Daily Express challenged official statements from both police leadership and Mayor Sadiq Khan, who had consistently maintained there were "no reports" or "no indication" of Rochdale or Rotherham-style rape gangs operating in London.

The investigation uncovered evidence from four separate His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services reports spanning 2016 to 2025 that documented at least six potential victims of grooming gang abuse. These case studies, which the Mayor of London personally responded to according to public statements, described children as young as 13 being exploited by groups of predatory men. The reports detailed how girls were plied with drugs and alcohol, raped in hotels by multiple perpetrators, and subjected to life-threatening situations.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed to Assembly Members at City Hall that the force now acknowledges a "steady flow" of live multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations and a "very significant" number of historic cases requiring reinvestigation. The commissioner estimated these reviews would cost "millions of pounds a year, for several years" to properly investigate, contradicting previous assertions that the force had "not seen" such cases in London.

Political figures including Reform UK MP Lee Anderson and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp have criticized the mayor's handling of the situation, with Anderson stating there is "real, credible evidence that grooming gangs exist in London" and Philp alleging that Khan is "facilitating a cover-up." A spokesman for the mayor maintained that Khan has "always been clear that the safety of Londoners is his top priority" and remains "committed to doing all he can to protect children in London."