Labour has committed to ban fracking if it wins the next election.

The party has so far called for a moratorium on fracking in the UK, and criticised the environmental safeguards that have been weakened by the Conservative goverment.

But Barry Gardiner MP, the shadow energy and climate change secretary, is expected to announce today that the party will ban fracking outright.

How Fracking works

"Today I am announcing that the next Labour government will ban fracking in the UK," Mr Gardiner is expected to say at the Labour conference.

"Fracking locks us into an energy infrastructure that is based on fossil fuels long after our country needs to have moved to renewables.

"The next Labour government will back the clean technologies of the future.

"We will consult with our colleagues in industry and the Trade Unions about the best way to transition our energy industry to create the vital jobs and apprenticeships we are going to need for the UK’s low-carbon future."

Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp Show all 8 1 /8 Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp fracking.Rex.jpg Vivienne Westwood joined the protesters at Balcombe Rex Features Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp Fracking_Balcombe.jpg Placards at the entrance of the drill site operated by Cuadrilla in Balcombe Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-4.jpg Drilling equipment at the Cuadrilla exploration drilling site in Balcombe, West Sussex Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-6.jpg Drilling equipment at the Cuadrilla exploration drilling site Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-5.jpg Drilling equipment at the Cuadrilla exploration drilling site Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-3.jpg Drilling equipment at the Cuadrilla exploration drilling site in Balcombe, West Sussex Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-2.jpg The fracking site at Balcombe, West Sussex Getty Images Vivienne Westwood joins anti-fracking protest camp balcombe-fracking-1.jpg Drilling equipment at the Cuadrilla exploration drilling site in Balcombe, West Sussex Getty Images

The Labour Party has said that committing publicly and early to ban the energy will help provide certainty for investors. The news will help signal to people that Labour will look to move the country to an economy powered entirely by clean energy, it said.

The party says that it doesn't believe the returns from shale gas extracted through fracking will be enough to make up for the concerns about the technical problems fracking creates for the environment and communities.

But GMB, the union for energy workers, criticised the move – arguing that it would lead the UK to rely on "henchmen, hangmen and headchoppers for its gas". It would also have to transport that gas across oceans, doing further damage to the environment, it argued.

"Carting gas across oceans is not good from the environment and not good for security of supply in the UK," Gary Smith, GMB Scotland secretary said.

"Given we will need gas to heat our homes and power industry, the question is therefore where are we going to get our gas from. We are increasingly going to be dependent on regimes fronted by henchmen, hangmen and headchoppers for the gas we need. That isn't ethical and is surely an abdication of our environmental and moral responsibilities."