Prospect: A dedicated nuclear minister is welcome but we need action not just grand gestures

Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect union, responding to the appointment of Andrew Bowie as dedicated nuclear minister, said:

“The appointment of Andrew Bowie as UK’s first dedicated minister for nuclear power is welcome and hopefully demonstrates the scale of the government’s commitment to new nuclear. But warm words and grand gestures on nuclear have all too often been matched by dither and delay when it comes to action.

“All but one of the UK’s existing nuclear reactors are due to retire by the end of the decade and the global race for investment in next generation nuclear technologies is accelerating. There is no time to spare on this.

“Top of the minister’s to-do-list must be establishing a fully funded Great British Nuclear so we can actually get moving on building the new nuclear capacity we need for energy security and to achieve our net zero goals.”