The energy and clean growth minister, Claire Perry, told the House of Commons today she would go to Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road fracking site and would visit protesters.
Ms Perry was responding to a question this morning from Labour’s Barry Gardiner who asked whether she would finally visit residents living near the site.
It emerged last month that the minister had never visited a shale gas site and earlier this month DrillOrDrop reported that she had been invited four times to meet with opponents of Cuadrilla’s operations in Lancashire.
Ms Perry replied that she had been advised for security reasons to “be very careful about engaging with protesters”. She said
“I was aggressively approached by a protester who threatened to visit my home because he knew my children were home alone”.
But she said: “I would be delighted to visit Preston New Road” and she added:
“Of course, when I go, unlike some opposition members, I will make sure to visit the protestors and also those exploiting the resource to create jobs. Those of us on the Government Benches believe in jobs, not mobs.”
DrillOrDrop asked the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy when and where the incident with the protester took place.
A spokesperson said:
“Thanks for your query – we have nothing more to add to what Claire said earlier”.
Ms Perry denied there had been a change in government policy following a pause in fracking at Preston New Road. Campaigners at the site have estimated that there has been no fracking since Friday 2 November.
Replying to Labour’s Jim. Cunningham, Ms Perry replied:
“Not at all.
“We are calmly and soberly going through the process of seeing whether this potentially valuable resource that can reduce our energy dependency on imports can be exploited, but it has to be done in a way that is consistent with our world-beating and tough regulatory regime.”
She referred to a one-day study by Liverpool University which likened the 1.1ML (local magnitude) earth tremor at Preston New Road to a 1kg bag of flour dropped from waist height to the floor.
The minister also denied she had broken the ministerial code by not declaring a meeting with fracking companies in May this year.
Ms Perry said:
“the ministerial code does not require Ministers to disclose meetings that they drop in on, as opposed to host in their office. I have made it clear to my officials that any meeting ever held with anyone related to shale gas should be recorded, whether or not that is in accordance with current guidance”.
Categories: Politics
DRILL OR DROP? 
Given Ms Perry’s stellar performance on QT last week I cannot imagine there will be many locals of the PNR site relishing the opportunity of being regularly interrupted and tutted at whilst speaking to the Minister.
The serious matter of the alleged threats to Claire Perry’s family is of great concern. I presume the police will carry out a full and thorough investigation.
If it had actually happened the police would have done so already and we’d all know about it.
Given the BEIS’ non-committal response I think our suspicion that she was just grandstanding again is justified.
Unless she can actually proffer some proof this just seems like more of the GMCA Prevent slandering. I shall await any response from Perry / BEIS on this with interest.
Typical response from an anti. [Edited by moderator]
Or charge Claire Pruitt with wasting police time.
The Nanas will have her for breakfast.
Do you not like it when a woman talks?
I have to say that’s a bit of a leap Kish, not at all sure how you get to that from my post. Try again.
I think Kisheny was being ironic there Crem, and reminding us of Perry’s patronising attempt to belittle David Dimbleby on Question Time.
Nice one Kish!
Thanks…
Fair dos. I must have missed the attempt at humour as it was very late when I replied and Kish has never displayed this level of subtlety before.
Did you get a grown up to write it for you Kish?
“the ministerial code does not require Ministers to disclose meetings that they drop in on”???
Perry gave a presentation, then took questions from the Industry. Hardly “drop in on”!
Really? Do we have evidence of that? Please confirm.
Claire Perry will have seen the completion report from Preese Hall. With that information she can get an idea of the value of shale gas relative to earthquakes of 2.3 magnitude. She should now also be fully aware that 3D surveys cannot be relied on to locate faults. She should also by now have input from property money lenders and insurance companies.
Considering a higher seismic threshold needs careful consideration especially as it conflicts with the advice of the DECC the EA and other professionals.
Jobs not mobs? This woman can’t help herself. She is rude, aggressive and appears to revel in making inflammatory comments. Add to that her behaviour on BBC Question Time, the formal complaints that have been made by staff sabout how she shouts, swears and bullies them, one has to question whether this woman deserves to be in public office.
This woman has aspirations to be PM. I know – hard to credit it isn’t it but watch what happens when May goes.
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If the lady really does care about jobs she must have worked out that turning the Fylde Coast into the largest onshore Gasfield in Europe will cost tens of thousands of long standing jobs in farming, horticulture and tourism.
In return for mostly automated repetitive tasks only for the short lifetime of the shale gas flow. The legacy of which will be a contaminated environment, undrinkable water supplies and damaged properties.
Surely even the most socially unaware Tory Capitalist must realise that this scenario is a loose, loose proposal?
Peter Roberts, your claims have zero basis in facts. The US has fracked wells in the middle of agricultural areas and tourist spots, and has not seen any negative ramifications. The UK may have 200+ TCF of recoverable gas onshore, clearly that is worth extracting for a number of reasons. Shale gas has cleaned the environment in the US and the UK (you import shale gas) by replacing coal. It has not contaminated the environment or drinking supplies, and it has caused property values to increase.
Flipping heck Bob, haven’t I told you before?
Research List of the Harmed before posting propaganda ie fracking industry [edited by moderator] on here please.
This regularly updated report from North America now extends to over 200 pages, each page with several incidents of harm done by the Oil and Gas and Fracking industries to people, property, water supplies and the environment, nearly all incidents with multiple victims.
Regards property values, please do local research before making these stupid statements. People are hopefully more intelligent than yourself and the recent swarm of earthquakes around PNR will have woken up even out of town potential purchasers of family homes nearby that such transaction would be most unwise at any price.
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Through having lived in Perry’s constituency, I can say with some authority that she IS a bully, she is aggressive and she doesn’t like confrontation. When anybody has the temerity to stand up to her and challenge her, she gets very angry and stalks off, or starts losing it and shouting at everyone. We organised a protest to greet her outside a supermarket she was due to hold a surgery in. We did stop her, and she started getting very cross, taking pictures of us with her phone and threatening to call the police. One guy tried to get her attention as she walked past and tapped her on the shoulder. This she interpreted as a ‘violent assault’ and called the police. I spoke to them when they arrived, told them what happened, whereupon they groaned and said “This isn’t the first time”. She had had several run-ins with the chief constable during the 2015 election, as she demanded 24 hour police protection for herself and her family, as some of her revolting campaign posters, which were seemingly at every road junction throughout the constituency, had been defaced, and she felt threatened.The chief constable declined her request, and ever since then she’d had a series of run ins with them, or so I was told. She is proud to be known of as a BDW – Bloody Difficult Woman – an epithet which can engender respect, PROVIDED THE WOMAN IN QUESTION ISN’T VERY STUPID. Unfortunately, Perry IS very stupid. She lacks the compassion or humility to hold high office, yet doesn’t have the brains to realise that she is ill-qualified for the job. A classic case of someone promoted way beyond their capabilities who feels they can reach the very top. She once stopped at a Tory party conference, to talk to protestors. She subsequently wrote a local newspaper article describing them as ‘grubby, nose-ringed, rent-a-mob protestors’. In short, that woman only opens her mouth to change feet. I just hope this is her undoing before she goes for the top job. She is interested in one thing only, and that is her career. She has no desire to make a difference, she hopes she can bludgeon her way to the top by acting like a teenager with a tantrum when she’s confronted with evidence of her lack of suitability. Regrettably she has a very safe seat – I can only hope she is deselected very soon.
The anti frackers are uncivilized. Claire Perry and any official of the government has the right to go on about their daily life without being harass or followed. This is called stalking and intimidation.
If they have an issue regard fracking take it to the local MP, Raising in parliament, vote against it in election.
UK has turned into a mob rules society.
No generalisations or blurring facts there at all eh [edited by moderator]
So how do you suggest I get myself civilised? Are there any missionaries I can perhaps look out for? Please don’t suggest Natascha Engels – we cannibals have some standards you know.
I think as a politician if you attend an event then meeting members of the public, some of whom may express their opinions robustly, is part and parcel of your job. If you are dismissive and patronising when you do then you are likely to elicit an angrier response than if you listen politely.
If she had been stalked or harassed at home or on private engagements that would be a different matter, but she hasn’t has she? Or if she has her civil servants don’t know about it. Maybe you do tgn01? If so can you let us know where and when?
Refracktion
I agree. Generalisations are not helpful either way.
That anti frackers are uncivilised, or all pro frackers are climate change deniers ( that from a past comment, not in this report ), and so on ( all corbynites are running dogs of Putin, all conservatives are oil industry puppets ) would only need one civilised anti fracker, or one Tory not in the pay of the oil and gas companies to be proven wrong.
TW, you know damn well that the FYLDE MP us Mark Menzies, totally owned by the Tory party, a career politician given a very safe seat.
There is no way he would put his Constituents health, wealth, happiness, water supplies and job security before his own political aspirations.
At least it looks this way as he has been missing from the fracking front line at PNR standing alongside us community protectors so far!
Polly, I think your summation of Claire Perry in her role in government is spot on.
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Well there’s an entertaining fairytale.
Put a fracking site near her house and see her response then like she opposed a new housing development being built in her constituency same for all the pro frackers put one 300m from your house and primary school we have already got good jobs maybe you could get one then on the well pad
As the energy minister I presume she is working tirelessly towards maximising our onshore wind potential which is the cheapest form of energy and supported by the majority of the public.
Classic NIMBY response Mark…
Environment protectors just cannot win!
If we’re local were NIMBYs, if we travel we’re rent a mob!
Either way we’re in the right and fossil fuel extraction will be the end of days if not stopped really quickly.
Stop using it then Pete…
I will if you and your friends will! How about that Kisheny?
You first Pete…
Please show us the way…
Otherwise Pete, so being so hypocritical. ie do as I say not as I do???
Are your red and green avatar’s some kind of traffic light system, Kishy?
Yes, she is John, and she spoke about it yesterday in the House, confirming the expansion in jobs being created. Shame you missed that bit, but looking at the bile produced around this subject when the antis have been calling for her to engage and how they react when she does, not surprising really.
I watched Question Time. My TV must be on the blink because I seem to recall she was cheered for some of her comments, whilst a few lefties tried to bully her away from her opinion and right to hold it. Seems they still think that will work. Wrong tactic selected. Try again.
Don’t think you telly was on the blink MC just your hearing and your grip on reality.
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In March 2018
“Perry has previously said she wants to enable onshore wind projects to compete for subsidies in areas where they enjoy public support”
In October 2018 in the report on the 2019 CFD auctions.
“The Government has indicated that only less established technologies will be able to compete in future CFD auctions. This means that onshore wind, one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy in the UK, will be excluded as it is now considered to be an established technology”
Not really pulling out all the stops on onshore wind.
You did miss the job announcements then John! Try Giggle.
Smart lady Claire. Recognises quite a few actually want on shore turbines REMOVED. Might also have seen that big increases in them would change wind patterns and lead to increases in temperature. Put them out to sea, where they turn around more and the turbine bit works better! Develop such off shore sites so they integrate with marine reserves. Then, we can plant a few more trees on land that encourage biodiversity rather than mince it.
Perhaps John would still like £150k each net/turbine/year whether they are generating or not?
A strong and spikey lady Claire. Not a virtue signaller, not timid. Certainly that is not to everyone’s taste but I have usually worked alongside strong women, some spikey, some not, and always found that quite refreshing. Perhaps the agricultural sector I am most familiar with has a particular requirement where the b****hit is dealt with separately and find when that is brought into politics it works just as well.
Great idea Martin – Ruth/Paul can we please have a separate comments section for the Collywibble?