The business secretary’s comments came as he faced questions in parliament on Thursday about the government’s decision to lift a UK ban on shale gas extraction. “I am well aware that there have been objections to fracking,” he told MPs. “But I would also note that there have been widely reported stories that some of the opposition to fracking has been funded by Mr. Putin’s regime.” His comments came as he defended the government’s decision to formally lift the ban on fracking for shale gas despite a scientific report warning that predicting the occurrence of “big earthquakes” remains a “scientific challenge”. Cat Smith, the Labor MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, had asked Mr Rees-Mogg if he could clarify for her constituents whether they would be given the chance to decide whether fracking should happen in Lancashire. Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate and net zero secretary, described Mr Rees-Mogg’s comments as an “absolutely outrageous insult” and condemned them as disgraceful and disgraceful. In 2014, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, then Nato’s secretary-general, told the Chatham House think tank in London that Mr Putin’s regime was behind efforts to discredit fracking in Europe. “I have met allies who can report that Russia … actively cooperated with so-called non-governmental organizations – environmental organizations working against shale gas – to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas,” he said. Mr Rasmussen reportedly declined to elaborate on those operations, saying only: “That’s my interpretation.” NATO’s press office said at the time that Mr Rasmussen’s comments reflected his personal views and not official policy. Green groups have strongly rejected the accusation, saying they were not involved in any Russian attempt to discredit the practice and opposed fracking on environmental grounds. In 2016, The Times reported that Ofcom was investigating RT, the Kremlin’s English-language television channel, for bias after it launched an inaccurate attack on a fracking company. Investigative news website De Smog, which tracks the “undue influence” of climate science denial and the fossil fuel industry on UK energy and climate policy, described the claim that the anti-fracking protests were funded by the Kremlin as “baseless ». He noted that the claim has been “promoted by opponents of climate action” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Danny Gross said: “Any government serious about tackling the energy and climate crises would not stoop so low as to make these ridiculous and baseless claims in the House of Commons. “Communities across the country are raising legitimate concerns – backed by science – that fracking is causing earthquakes, industrializing the countryside and contributing to climate collapse, and that it will do nothing to address the cost of living crisis. “The only sensible solution is to invest in comprehensive home insulation and cheap and popular domestic renewable energy sources.” Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, said Mr Rees-Mogg’s claim that Putin has funded the opposition to fracking was “absolute rubbish from someone grasping at straws”. “The reality is that the vast majority of the British people oppose fracking without any need for fancy handouts from the Kremlin,” he said. The government has said it will only support fracking where there is “local support”, but has not explained how it will measure local support or opposition to fracking. Mr Rees-Mogg, whose brief is on overseeing UK energy policy, said only that companies would have a responsibility “to develop packages that make shale gas extraction attractive to local communities”. His remarks led to accusations that he linked his consent to compensation. Asked by The Independent whether Mr Rees-Mogg had evidence to support claims that some opposition to fracking was funded by Mr Putin, a member of his team pointed to a 2014 report by The Guardian about Mr Putin’s remarks. Rasmussen and the 2016 article in The Times. . A BEIS spokesman said: “With Russia waging an illegal war in Ukraine and weaponizing energy across Europe, it is more important than ever to ensure that no option is left off the table to improve our energy security and of our domestic energy supply. “Lifting the moratorium on shale gas extraction will allow us to gather further data and ensure that this is done as safely as possible and where there is local support. “When considering future applications for consent, Ministers will look carefully at the support seen for local projects, as well as what kind of community benefits will be put into place.”
