SNP announces indefinite fracking ban in Scotland

SNP ministers have announced an indefinite ban on fracking in Scotland as they intensified their general election battle with Labour over which party is promising the greatest restrictions on the controversial practice.

Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Energy Minister, declared a moratorium on granting planning permission for “unconventional” oil and gas projects that blocked all schemes north of the Border under development.

In a statement to MSPs, he said the ban would last however long it took to carry out a full public consultation on the extraction of shale gas and research into its impact on the environment and public health.

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