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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says decision over gas drilling disappointing

PA Media Protest outside Royal Courts of Justice in 2023PA Media
Campaigners outside the Royal Courts of Justice protested over plans to begin gas drilling in rural Surrey in June 2023

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he is "bitterly disappointed" after a legal ruling gave the go-ahead to a gas drilling project in his constituency.

UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) had applied to explore a site in Dunsfold, in Mr Hunt's South West Surrey constituency.

The application had been approved by the government, despite it twice being refused by the local Tory council and opposition from Mr Hunt.

The Court of Appeal has now refused permission to appeal the decision.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Hunt 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."

The Liberal Democrats, the main challenger in the south of England seat, urged the Chancellor to intervene on the project.

The party's environment spokesman Tim Farron called it a "shameful outcome".

"This Conservative Government's policies have resulted in greedy gas barons ripping up the Surrey Hills," he said.

"They have railroaded this through the courts despite local outrage at the plans."

Kirsty Ferguson Campaigners at a planned oil site in DunsfoldKirsty Ferguson
Campaigners lined up along a tape to mark out the size of vehicles expected to use the site

Stephen Sanderson, UKOG chief executive, said: "We are pleased that Lord Justice Stuart-Smith has once again dismissed the legal challenge to our project and has confirmed that its planning consent is entirely lawful, as the company and its counsel has maintained."

He said the project would be "beneficial to local and national level energy" and in keeping with national "net zero strategies".

Jennine Walker, from Good Law Project which helped bring the legal challenge, said: "This is an extremely disappointing outcome.

"With the doors left open to UKOG to go ahead with rolling its drilling rigs through Dunsfold, we could now see huge impacts on the local environment, landscape and businesses."

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