Chancellor Hunt ‘bitterly disappointed’ after gas drilling approved in his constituency

Climate obsession can warp the mind if this case is anything to go by. Government policy is to find more UK gas but one of its top ministers opposes the idea in his own constituency.
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says he is “bitterly disappointed” after a Court of Appeal ruling gave the green light to a gas drilling project in his Surrey constituency, reports Sky News.

The site in Dunsfold, which energy company UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) wants to explore, has been the source of a protracted legal battle.

The application was approved by the government in June 2022, despite it being refused by the local Conservative council and opposition from Mr Hunt when he was a backbench MP.

Before becoming chancellor Mr Hunt said in a letter to Housing Secretary Michael Gove that the decision to allow gas drilling was “wrong both economically and environmentally”.

Now in one of the most senior posts in government, he stood by his opposition to the project after the Court of Appeal refused permission for any further appeals.

In a post on X, he said: “I am bitterly disappointed to learn that the Court of Appeal has today refused permission for any further appeal against the UKOG planning consent for the Loxley gas well outside Dunsfold.

“I stand ready to provide my assistance and support to local communities in any way possible going forwards.”

Mr Hunt’s opposition to the project will be watched closely, given he and other ministers have keenly backed plans to maximise oil and gas production in the North Sea.

Full report here.