Gordon Brown supports new nuclear plants

11.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 10th Jun 2006

Chancellor Gordon Brown has given a clear signal that he supports the building of new nuclear power stations. In an article in the Times, he said the government was set to demonstrate its flexibility in key policy areas such as energy - "including new nuclear".

The government's energy review is due by the end of July but Tony Blair has already said he favours new plants. The anti-nuclear lobby and some Labour MPs had hoped the expected next Labour leader would take a different view. In recent weeks, Mr Blair has made it clear that he sees new nuclear power stations as part of a mix to fill the gap which will be left when the current sites come to the end of their lives. The Liberal Democrats have already voiced their opposition to new stations.

At a summit on Friday, Tony Blair and the French President Jacques Chirac announced the UK and France would be setting up a joint nuclear energy forum. Responding to this, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said "It is disgraceful that the Prime Minister is again failing to take an evidence based approach to nuclear power, and is instead pressing ahead with a pro-nuclear policy ahead of the publication of his own energy review. What is the point in assessing the facts, if the policy is going to be driven by the Prime Minister's own prejudices? Nuclear is a tried, tested and failed technology, with demonstrably higher costs than the renewable alternatives."