WILLIE Rennie has been accused of breaching his party’s constitution after a decision by the Scottish Lib Dems to campaign in the run-up to the May election for a fracking ban despite a conference vote calling for restrictions to be lifted.

Graeme Cowie, a member who put down the pro fracking amendment, launched the attack yesterday after the party’s policy committee decided to include a call for a ban on the technique in its Scottish Parliament election manifesto. A spokeswoman for Rennie last night denied he had acted unconstitutionally and said there had been mixed messages at the conferences with regard to the fracking vote and support for a pre-manifesto commitment to move from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy.

Cowie, a LibDem candidate in last May’s General Election for Renfrewshire East, expressed his criticisms in the Liberal Democrat Voice.

“As the person who summated the amendment that received around two thirds of the support of a very busy Conference Hall, I feel compelled to respond to the total double-speak over this issue,” he wrote.

“Let’s be clear, this is not Willie “reaffirming” our opposition to fracking. There is no “affirmation” or “reaffirmation” about it. The Scottish Party called for a moratorium three years ago so that the Scottish Government could gather evidence about the local and global environmental impact of permitting shale extraction in Scotland.

“Since then, the Scottish Government received a report, in which experts in the field concluded not only that well regulated fracking was safe but that in conjunction with other measures could be complementary, rather than detrimental, to net Scottish and global carbon emissions.”

He added: “Willie’s actions serve explicitly to reverse, disregard and dismiss a clear expression of the sovereign will of the Scottish Party membership to follow the evidence on fracking and to leave decisions about individual fracking applications to local authorities, while prioritising petrochemical usage where possible so as to minimise the environmental impact of the industry.

“The decision to put this question to Policy Committee was unconstitutional. They do not have the authority or the legitimacy under the Scottish LibDem Constitution to override a clear and unambiguous conference vote less than a week later in the absence of some pretty significant changes to the lie of the political terrain in the intervening period.”

A Scottish Liberal Democrat spokeswoman said that members attending conference had voted to lift the moratorium on fracking and unconventional gas extraction while supporting a pre-manifesto commitment that endorses a move away from polluting fossil fuels and continued support for renewable energy.

“As part of our pre-manifesto, members voted to support clean, renewable energy to protect our planet. Fracking isn’t either of those things,” she said.

“Allowing it would harm our pursuit of a greener Scotland. We don’t want to distract from focusing on renewables by opening up a whole new front of carbon-based fuels and energy production.