A POWER struggle between Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Communities Secretary Michael Gove is believed to be behind a High Court oil drilling battle in the Surrey Hills, the Morning Star can reveal.

The court heard last week that the government was inconsistent in allowing gas drilling near Dunsfold village on the same day it barred a similar project in Cheshire.

Mr Gove’s decision was branded untenable as his department had dismissed a directly comparable drilling case near Ellesmere Port due to its impact on climate change.