, Shadow Secretary of
State for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy commenting on ’s visit to Copeland said:
“The Prime Minister today failed to assure that the UK is
committed to the NuGen nuclear plant at Moorside in Cumbria.
“Taking an equity share as Labour has called for would ensure
this vital power station built. ’s lack of action compounds a
failed and incoherent energy strategy, clumsily lurching from
crisis to calamity.
“Labour supports new nuclear and the growth of renewable energy,
but the Tories appear hell bent on preventing either, rushing us
out of the Euratom nuclear partnership and slashing low carbon
energy support.
“The Tories’ failure is forcing up energy bills and threatening
jobs.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1 Labour tabled multiple amendments
to the recent Article 50 Bills to seek continued membership of
Euratom (the European Atomic Energy Community)
including NC192. The government
rejected those attempts to keep the UK inside the nuclear
research and trade community, despite strongcalls from the nuclear
industry.
- Leaving Euratom will have significant
implications and disruption for
the nuclear industry, and may affect the construction
of Hinkley Point C.
-
Legal
opinion is split as to
whether leaving the EU necessitates the leaving Euratom.
- Labour has come out in support of new
nuclear.
2 The Government has
greatly rolled back on
support for low carbon energy to international
condemnation.
- It is months late in its
publishing of the legally required Emissions Reduction
Plan.
- And risks missing it’s
legally required Carbon Budgets as laid out in the
Climate Change Act 2008.
- Significant disruptions in financial flows to the energy
infrastructure makes projects more risky, driving up the cost of
capital and impacting bills payers.
