Robert Jenrick, a former communities secretary, called for a “more pragmatic energy policy” that would ease soaring bills while the UK strives to hit net zero.

“I personally was always a supporter of fracking,” he told BBC Newsnight. “I don’t think it’s a quick fix, but I think we should be revisiting that question.”

But Ed Miliband, who leads Labour’s climate change brief, said a return to fracking in the UK would not make “any difference” to energy prices.

He warned in the Commons that it could “take decades” to have an effect and urged ministers to stick by the moratorium on new fracking.

Rosie Rogers, head of energy for Greenpeace UK, said: “After a decade of hype and bluster, all the fracking industry has given us are two holes in a muddy field and some minor earthquakes.

“Trying to restart fracking now would only mean wasting more time when we have little. It will take many years to develop and if it ever gets produced, it will be sold to the highest bidder on the international market, with no impact on our energy bills.”