News from the New Party

Labour's nuclear 'dithering' will have UK scrabbling in the dark, New Party leader tells nuclear heartland

The UK could find its goal for energy independence based on investment in nuclear power seriously compromised thanks to the Labour government taking over a decade to produce an energy policy, New Party Leader  Richard Vass warned today in an interview with BBC Radio Lancashire.

Invited onto the popular Tony Livesey breakfast show across Lancashire he told the county, which has 23,000 people employed in the industry, that while the New Party welcomed Labour finally seeing sense and green lighting new nuclear plants, it was over ten years too late.

"We welcome the fact that Labour has finally seen the nuclear light -  we have long been supporters of the nuclear option - but while the UK has been dithering other countries have been ordering the necessary parts. We are not alone in wanting to construct nuclear plants," he said.

China, India, Hungary, France and Italy are some of the countries already on the nuclear parts waiting list from Japan Steel Works (JSW), which produces the heavy forged reactor pressure vessels that contain nuclear reactions*. Even with new investment the company will only be able to manage 12 reactors a year.

So, even  if the UK can raise the investment needed to construct the plants in the current economic environment and disaffection with Sterling** -  potentially hiking further Ofgem's predicted £200billion bill for the full energy project - it faces a bottleneck in supply which could lead to adverse effects for us all.

"The huge delay in finally getting to this announcement will in itself have likely been enough to cause power cuts in the years before the new power stations come on stream," said Richard.

He continued: "The Tories have a poor record here also, and while they will seek to make political capital, they can hardly present themselves as politically brave. Once again our leaders are guilty of being weak.

"At least at the next election The Sun will not have to run with the headline 'Will the last person out of Britain please turn out the lights'. This time they know that Labour has already turned the lights out for everyone by failing to make a decision in time."

*JSW is the leader in this field and is one of four main companies producing this technology. Expansion of capacity is being considered at other sites across the globe but has yet to materialise.

**Even if capacity does grow, it is uncertain supply will meet demand. Sterling has declined in value, pushing up the cost of imported nuclear technologies. And with figures from Fitch showing unless the next Government acts to reduce debt the UK will lose its AAA rating, recently expanded firms spoilt for customer choice may choose less risky clients than the UK.