A HEATED debate on energy policy in the Commons led to North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns being called “discourteous” by the Deputy Speaker.

The clash came in a debate on the Government’s ongoing ban on shale oil “fracking”, during which Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice claimed the UK is currently “impoverish(ing) ourselves by writing off one of the greatest treasure opportunities we have” and that the USA’s gas prices are a fifth of Britain’s due its use of shale gas.

“We have somewhere between 30 and 50 years of gas available onshore,”, he said, and called for trials of different methods to extract it, rather than “putting all our bets on renewable energy”.

Dr Chowns, whose North Herefordshire constituency includes Brampton Abbots, King’s Caple and Upton Bishop north of Ross, hit back that while “the cost of renewables is going down constantly…. there are currently no commercially proven reserves of shale gas in the UK”.

She demanded Mr Tice “pay courtesy to the convention of the House that we speak truth in this place and to cite his sources”.

“Absolutely, I will cite the sources,” Mr Tice replied.

“Look at everybody’s energy bills: they are going up and up,”, to which Dr Chowns turned to him directly to say: “No, the sources for your claims about reserves”.

Calling for Order at this point, Deputy Speaker Caroline Nokes said Dr Chowns “did point out the conventions and courtesies of the House”.

“She has to ask the honourable Member if he will give way. Interventions should be through the Chair,” she said.

“Please do not face the back of the Chamber,” she chided. “It makes it incredibly hard for the microphones to pick up comments and, indeed, it is quite discourteous to the Chair to turn your back on me.”

Mr Tice said British Geological Survey “has made clear estimates that there are vast sums”, while businesses “are prepared to invest sums of money, we know that they have done the research”.