Reform mayor courted US oil and gas executive about fracking in UK | Fracking

Lincolnshire’s Reform mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, courted the head of an American oil and gas dynasty in hopes of introducing fracking to the county, the Guardian can reveal.

Egdon Resources, a UK subsidiary of US fracking company Heyco Energy, announced a major gas discovery in the Gainsborough pit in Lincolnshire last year. Jenkyns, who became Greater Lincolnshire’s first mayor in May, personally contacted the company to ask how it “could assist you with your recent gas discovery in my county”, according to documents released by the Mayor’s Authority in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Hydraulic fracturing was effectively banned in England in 2019 due to fears it could trigger earthquakes. But Jenkyns wants to bring the practice to Lincolnshire and appears to have met with fracking companies at least four times since she first contacted Egdon in June.

In a presentation titled “Confidential,” Heyco downplayed concerns about toxic chemicals in fracking fluid. He also shared a list of rebuttals to major criticisms of fracking and its benefits over renewable forms of energy, which was adapted for the Gainsborough Trough project, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.

Jenkyns said she was “very supportive of fracking” in her message asking how she could help the company, sent to Egdon’s general inbox in June last year. The company’s CEO, Mark Abbott, responded 11 minutes later, offering to meet with her to “discuss the gas potential in Lincolnshire and surrounding areas”.

Jenkyns is a staunch critic of net zero who has described the concept as a “scam” and has lodged several objections to energy projects such as solar farms and pylons in Lincolnshire.

Egdon’s owner, George Yates, is a Trump donor and member of a century-old New Mexico oil and gas dynasty with close ties to the Republican Party. He has previously described net zero as a pseudo-scientific approach to reducing carbon emissions and falsely blamed the UK’s high energy prices on the government’s climate policies.

An email from Abbott to Jenkyns and other Greater Lincolnshire county officials after the meeting said the group had discussed the “potential of shale gas in the Gainsborough Trough” and “how to build support for its development.” The existence of this domain has been known for over a decade.

The email also included a list of next steps for the meeting. Abbott said he would explore the possibility of a visit to a US shale operation for the group and would help arrange a meeting with Yates and his daughter Lauren when they were next in the UK.

In a video posted to Facebook the same day as his meeting with Abbott, Jenkyns praised the gas discovery, calling it “obvious.”

Jenkyns and his aides met with Yates in October last year, during which the US oil executive presented Egdon’s analysis of the “potential positive impacts of shale gas development for Lincolnshire”, according to the documents.

Jenkyns then met Egdon’s parent company, Heyco Energy Group, again in December, during which they discussed energy in Lincolnshire, according to a post on his X account.

Hydraulic fracturing remains highly controversial in the UK, with 51% of people opposed to the practice, according to a poll. Even Reform-led councils in Lancashire and North Yorkshire have opposed fracking and similar gas extraction projects in their council areas.

Richard Davies, leader of the Conservative group at Lincolnshire County Council, said fracking was “hugely controversial” in Lincolnshire.

“I think the overriding feeling of most people who live and work here is…what is the truth behind this marketing strategy? Davies said. “What are the risks, what are the bonuses? What are the environmental impacts?”

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We intend to permanently ban fracking and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect current and future generations. »

Yates also maintained ties with the climate-sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation. In 2022, it welcomed director and co-founder Benny Peiser and the head of its American branch, Francis Menton, to the Dallas Petroleum Club. The two delivered a lecture calling Europe’s net zero agenda a “major threat” that has incited “Putin’s energy wars.”

In February 2025, Yates spoke at the first Lincolnshire Energy Conference. His presentation, obtained by the Guardian, reveals how the fracking boss sought to blame high energy prices on the UK’s efforts to tackle climate change, when in reality they were driven by a global surge in natural gas prices.

Jenkyns and other Reform officials have also opposed local renewable energy projects, including efforts to scale back a community solar project providing power to a fire station and recreation center.

Before Jenkyns’ election, the Greater Lincolnshire Authority had applied for funding from the government’s municipal renewable energy fund to install solar panels and batteries on municipal buildings, including a fire station and a local leisure centre, with “intensive” energy needs. The aim was to “save money” on building operating costs, freeing up money for other public services.

But the day after his first meeting with Egdon, Jenkyns and Lincolnshire County Council Reform leader Sean Matthews opposed the plan in a closed-door meeting. Jenkyns cited safety concerns, referring to unsubstantiated reports of battery-related fires. Sources with knowledge of the situation said no security risks had been previously reported.

The authority had been offered £602,000 from the fund, but needed the mayor’s approval to accept it. To avoid returning the money, board members suggested alternative proposals to the mayor, including removing the batteries from the project, according to a councilor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A revised funding request letter asked for £430,000, a third less than the amount originally proposed by central government. The document, obtained via an FOI request, stated that without batteries on site there would be no capacity to store excess energy for later use or export it back to the grid.

In an email to council leaders, also obtained by the Guardian, an official said the removal of batteries had led to a reduction in the number of solar panels and therefore “a reduction in generation capacity and operating savings”. Despite this, Jenkyns presented the result as a victory and told her followers on X that she was keeping her campaign promise to fight net zero and government waste.

A month later, Matthews and Jenkyns launched Lincolnshire Opposes Renewable Eyesores (Lore), an anti-renewables campaign organized with Tice. In his speech, Jenkyns echoed Egdon’s claims about the benefits of hydraulic fracturing the Gainsborough pit. She also pledged to equip Lincolnshire residents with the skills to “do baby exercises” under a future Reform government.

The next day, Matthews and several other Reform advisers visited the headquarters of onshore oil and gas company Star Energy in Welton and toured several of its production facilities, according to emails obtained by the Guardian. The company holds several hydraulic fracturing licenses in Lincolnshire, including a number in the Gainsborough Trough area.

Subsequently, Lincolnshire County Council deputy leader Rob Gibson put Star Energy in touch with the mayor’s office. In a video shared on the mayor’s social media channels a month later, Jenkyns announced his own visit to Star Energy sites in Lincolnshire, declaring “it’s time to move away from net zero”.

Asked to respond to the revelations, Yates said: “I meet people with many and varied opinions on all topics. I am a long-time Republican supporter, always open and transparent in my political donations, as required by U.S. law. We seek to engage with policymakers and politicians of all stripes to defend indigenous resources, which have clear security of supply, economic and environmental benefits over growing reliance on imports.”

Representatives for Jenkyns and Greater Lincolnshire Council did not respond to requests for comment.