The government’s energy department has no evidence that anti-fracking groups are funded “by Mr Putin” as claimed by the energy secretary in Parliament last month, openDemocracy can reveal.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was sacked from his post in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle on Tuesday, used parliamentary privilege to make the allegation on 22 September.
But when openDemocracy challenged the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Skills (BEIS) for evidence backing up the controversial claim, it was forced to admit it held none.
