Academics and High Level Politicians Query New Nuclear Justification

A group of academics and politicians including former Labour environment minister Michael Meacher and shadow Lib-Dem energy and climate change secretary Simon Hughes today called for an independent inquiry into the administration's new-build nuclear plans.


The group said energy secretary Ed Miliband should convene an inquiry to consider the "justification" for new nuclear capacity.

Justification is the legal process the government must undertake before approving the construction of new nuclear stations.

It is a high-level analysis of the potential benefits of nuclear power weighed against the health implications.

Hughes complained that the public had not been involved to any great degree in the government's nuclear plans and argued that the evidence produced by ministers to justify new-build was "very limited and minimalist".

The Liberal Democrat energy spokesman highlighted the fact that the design of the new reactors had not yet been approved by the nuclear safety watchdog. He also pointed out that the issue of where nuclear waste would be disposed of remained unclear.