Melton MP explains why she voted against her principles in chaotic fracking debate

Melton MP Alicia Kearns said she was forced to go against her principles in last night’s (Wednesday’s) chaotic Westminster vote to ensure the government retained control of parliament.

Labour tabled a motion calling for the banning of fracking – the recovery of gas and oil from shale rock by drilling into the earth – a process Mrs Kearns is vehemently opposed to.

But there was confusion over whether the ballot represented a test of confidence in Prime Minister Liz Truss and the government and Tory whips, who wield discipline in a parliamentary party, gave orders to MPs to vote against it or face being suspended.

As pressure continues to mount on Ms Truss there were chaotic scenes in the House of Commons with reports of some MPs being ‘manhandled’ and ‘bullied’ into voting with the government.

In a social media video post shortly before the ballot, Mrs Kearns said: “I don’t support fracking and I don’t think people across Rutland, Melton and the Vale want it either but the vote isn’t about fracking today.

"What the Labour party has done is they have put forward a motion which means that if they win the vote they take control of the order paper.

“That means that they essentially take control of Parliament.”

The government won the vote by 326 votes to 230 - a majority of 96, but Parliament's website shows that 40 Tory MPs did not vote.

In her video message shortly before the vote, Mrs Kearns explained: “As you can understand, as a Conservative, I can’t give control of Parliament to the opposition.

“So it is very frustrating because I will have to vote with the government tonight even though I don’t support fracking because otherwise I will lose the Conservative whip and I will no longer be able to sit as a Conservative MP and serve you as an MP having lost the whip.

“And it matters having the whip because as you have seen it is the whip that allows MPs to determine how the party is governed and shape policy.

“So today I will be voting with the government on the fracking motion on a Labour debate motion on fracking but the vote is not about that.

"It’s about who has control of the order paper and therefore control of Parliament.”