"Desolate" North East for fracking says Tory peer

A former energy secretary and father-in-law to George Osborne has suggested that fracking should take place in the North East where there are “large, uninhabited and desolate areas,” he claimed.

Speaking in the House of Lords this afternoon, Lord Howell of Guildford prompted astonished gasps from the House as he made his suggestion.

The Tory peer said: “Would you accept that it could be a mistake to think of and discuss fracking in terms of the whole of the United Kingdom in one go?

“I mean there obviously are, in beautiful natural areas, worries about not just the drilling and the fracking, which I think are exaggerated, but about the trucks, and the delivery, and the roads, and the disturbance, and those about justified worries.

“But there are large and uninhabited and desolate areas. Certainly in part of the North East where there’s plenty of room for fracking, well away from anybody’s residence where we could conduct without any kind of threat to the rural environment.”

David Skelton, director of Renewal, an independent campaign group aimed at broadening the appeal of the Conservative Party said: “I was surprised to hear Lord Howell talk about the “desolate” landscape of the North East. As a proud North Easterner, I know that such a description isn’t even close to the truth.

“The North East boasts some of the finest and most picturesque landscapes in the country, from Durham Cathedral and Bamburgh Castle, to the delights of the North Eastern countryside and the Northumbrian coastline. I’d be delighted to give Lord Howell a tour of the North East to show him that it’s far from desolate and is, in fact, one of the gems of the nation.

“There is, of course, a real potential that that shale gas could play a significant role in meeting our energy challenges. It could provide a real jobs boost to areas like the North East, which shouldn’t be dismissed. The choice over where fracking should take place should be taken by local communities, rather than being based on and outmoded, inaccurate view of ’the North.”

Phil Wilson Labour MP for Sedgefield said: “Lord Howell’s comment on the North East is yet another in a long line from David Cameron’s Tories which show how out of touch they are with the rest of Britain. This shows ignorance and a total lack of pride in this country and he should apologise.”