Corbyn calls for fracking ban

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined anti-fracking protesters in Lancashire as he demanded an immediate ban on the controversial process.

He spoke to around 100 campaigners outside Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road operation near Blackpool, which has been the centre of long-running protests by environmental groups.

Ahead of the meeting he said: “Instead of bending the knee to a few corporations who profit from extracting fossil fuels from the ground, we need to change course now.”

Labour says if the UK fully exploits its shale gas reserves, the amount of carbon released would “eliminate any hope of the government meeting its 2050 net-zero target”.

The party leader said:  “We need urgent action to tackle the climate emergency, and that means the Prime Minister immediately banning fracking once and for all.”