BASINGSTOKE MP Maria Miller voted against a Labour motion on Wednesday, October 19, that would have forced a vote on a bill to ban fracking. 

Wednesday was marked by chaos in Westminster, with Suella Braverman replaced as Home Secretary by Grant Shapps.

This was followed by a vote on fracking, seen by many as a 'confidence vote' in Liz Truss's premiership.

Conservative MPs were ordered by whips to vote down the anti-fracking motion, with anyone who defied instructions expected to lose the whip.

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Therefore, Ms Miller voted against the motion, alongside the vast majority of her Conservative colleagues, as it was defeated 326-230.

There were also reports of manhandling and bullying in the voting lobby, although these have been denied by Government ministers.

Voting against the motion were 322 Tory MPs and two DUP MPs.

Fracking is known as a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock that involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer to release the gas inside.

On her decision to vote against the motion to ban fracking, Maria Miller said: “Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the covid pandemic, have led to huge and unpredictable pressure on the price of the energy we need every day, like gas and electricity.  The Government has acted to make sure our country isn’t as vulnerable to these outside pressures in the future by pledging that the UK will not be dependent on imports of energy by 2040. 

"To achieve this, the Government has ceased the moratorium on shale extraction. Any development of shale reserves will only go ahead where there is local support. This is just one measure alongside many to make our country more self-reliant when it comes to energy supply. For example, under the Energy Security Strategy, the Government will also accelerate even further new wind, nuclear, solar and hydrogen power facilities."

Meanwhile, 167 Labour MPs, 33 SNP MPs, seven Independent MPs, 14 Lib Dem MPs, two SDLP MPs, one Alliance MP, three Plaid Cymru MPs, one Green Party MP and one Alba Party MP voted for it.

There were also 82 who abstained or did not vote – 27 Labour MPs, 31 Tory MPs, 11 SNP MPs, six Independent MPs, six DUP MPs and one Alba Party MP.

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