Labour branded completely ‘mad’ by one of its biggest union donors after vowing to ban fracking as plans breach ‘safeguards’

LABOUR was branded completely “mad” by one of its biggest union donors today after vowing to ban fracking.

The GMB hit the roof after Shadow Environment Secretary Barry Gardiner pledged to kill-off the shale gas revolution at the party conference in Liverpool.

In a speech he said the Government’s current plans for fracking breached “safeguards” demanded by Labour so the party would now oppose it altogether.

It had previously called for a moratorium.

The call came as the first shipments of fracked gas arrived in Scotland – for the huge Grangemouth refinery run by Ineos.

Gary Smith, GMB Scotland Secretary, said: “This call by Labour is an exercise in futility. It doesn’t make any environmental sense and threatens our security of supply.

“We have a decision to make about which regime fronted by what head-chopper or henchman we want to buy our gas from.

“It’s utter madness.”

The Government has faced a bitter struggle to get fracking off the ground – given fierce opposition from environmental campaigners.

Critics claim the drilling technique – which involves pumping water and chemicals underground to fracture shale and release gas – can contaminate the water supply and even trigger minor earthquakes.

In his speech Mr Gardiner said fracking would lock the UK into an energy infrastructure “based on fossil fuels long after our country needs to have moved to renewables”.

He insisted Labour would work with trade unions and industry to “develop the best way to transition” to protect jobs.

But he said: “The next Labour government will back the clean technologies of the future.”