No fracking unless King Charles gives property rights to the people, Truss warned
Under the 1934 Petroleum Production Act, all oil and gas deposits are owned by the King in his official capacity as "the Crown" which means people cannot financially benefit from shale gas deposits from their property. A former energy minister has told Liz Truss that if she wants people to accept fracking in their communities then she needs to change the law to give them a share of the profits. Tory grandee Sir Michael Fallon told Express.co.uk that he “tried for a year to get fracking to work” but warned that property rights had made it “impossible”.
Sir Michael, who is also a former Defence Secretary, spoke to Express.co.uk ahead of new Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg confirming that the Government plans to issue 100 licences for shale gas extraction.
During his statement in the Commons he was besieged by both Tory backbenchers and opposition MPs over demands over whether he would stick with the principle of local consent which has been a major stumbling block for fracking.
Tory Fylde MP Mark Menzies demanded to know if the Prime Minister “is a woman of her word” in terms of ensuring local communities kept their veto.
But Sir Michael warned that the real problem is property rights.
