Sarah Finch outside the supreme court: ‘I hope the judgment is a tipping point and will make it harder for any new oil and gas sector to be exploited.’Sarah Finch outside the supreme court: ‘I hope the judgment is a tipping point and will make it harder for any new oil and gas sector to be exploited.’
The supreme court decision last week was the culmination of years of work by Finch and a dedicated group of local campaigners fighting oil extraction in the Weald in Surrey. “But it very quickly became obvious that it was wider than that,” says Finch. “One reason was that the government attached themselves very early on as an interested party. And then Friends of the Earth intervened on my side. There was a principle at stake.”
Finch is wary of painting the case as a David and Goliath battle, noting its success was down to the hard work of many people. “It just happens to be my name that’s written on the front sheet. The group has a range of strengths and they don’t let you stop. So there’s been times I’ve thought, I want to take a break from all this, and then I’ll ring up and they say: ‘You’ve got it.’