Starmer to slash red tape to build nuclear reactors
Planning rules will be ripped up to make it easier to build new nuclear reactors and create thousands of highly skilled jobs, the government has announced.
The reforms are the latest in a series of proposals designed to “get Britain building” to help grow the economy, after powers for environmental quangos to delay infrastructure projects were removed.
The UK was the first country in the world to develop a nuclear reactor but the last time a power station was built was in 1995.
Ministers have blamed this on “suffocating” red tape, leaving the UK lagging behind in the global race for cleaner more affordable energy.
Under moves announced today, mini-nuclear power stations known as small modular reactors (SMRs) will be included in the national planning guidance, allowing them to be built in the UK for the first time.
SMRs are considered to be cheaper, quicker to manufacture and safer than conventional nuclear power plants, so industry experts see them as having an important role in efforts to decarbonise.
Other reforms include:
• Scrapping a list which currently limits nuclear development to eight specific sites
• Removing the expiry date on nuclear planning rules so projects don’t get timed out
• Establishing a new Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce to look at further ways to build nuclear plants quicker and cheaper, which will report directly to the prime minister
Unions and business groups have welcomed the announcement, but environmentalists were critical.
The changes come amid long-term struggles to get two existing nuclear projects over the line.
Only one nuclear power plant, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, is under construction in the UK – but its completion date has been delayed by years with the French company developing it blaming this on inflation, labour shortages and Brexit disruption.
The government also pointed to the need for a 30,000-page environmental assessment required to get planning permission, saying in its announcement today that Britain “has been suffocated by regulations”, which is harming investment.
A separate project, Sizewell C in Suffolk, has also been hit by delays and rising costs before a spade has even hit the ground.
By comparison China is constructing 29 reactors, and the EU has 12 at planning stage.
UK ‘let down and left behind’
Starmer during a visit to Hinkley Point nuclear power station. Pic: PA
Sir Keir Starmer said: “This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. We’ve been let down and left behind.
“I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation, and saying no to the blockers who have who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.”
The announcement builds on a Labour manifesto commitment to “end a decade of dithering” on nuclear power as part of broader plans to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030 – with cheaper bills and better energy security.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said that nuclear power will create “thousands of skilled jobs” and prevent the UK being vulnerable to global energy markets in the future.
“Build, build, build – that is what Britain’s clean energy mission is all about,” he said.
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’20 years’ to deliver GB Energy jobs
Some environmentalist groups dispute nuclear power’s green credentials though, saying that while it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, it isn’t a plausible alternative to renewable energy sources – like wind and solar.
Dr Doug Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said: “The Labour government has swallowed nuclear industry spin whole, seemingly without applying so much as a pinch of critical scrutiny or asking for a sprinkling of evidence.”
Unions were welcoming of the announcement’s potential to create jobs and deliver net zero, but said it should go alongside the complete go-ahead for Sizewall C.
And Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “This is the prime minister’s strongest signal yet that new nuclear is critical to the growth and clean power mission.
“A more streamlined planning system will give certainty to investors, the supply chain and communities, and will enable us to get on with building new nuclear plants on more sites and at pace for a cleaner, more secure power system.”
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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