Uranium Dangers: For the Time Being, the Government Will Fudge Nuclear Power, but Tony Blair, like George Bush, Favours Its Expansion. TOM BURKE Gives a Sceptical View. (Energy)

Burke, Tom, New Statesman (1996)

On 24 January; Tony Blair met a group of ministers and officials in Downing Street to resolve some of the key issues in the long-delayed white paper on energy policy. Among the most difficult of the topics under discussion were the future role of nuclear power in Britain and what response to make to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's challenge to reduce Britain's emissions of carbon dioxide by 60 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050.

There has been a fierce debate within the cabinet on the future role of nuclear power. The virtual collapse of the nuclear operator British Energy late last year has encouraged some ministers to argue that it is time to stop digging this ever deeper pit into which to sink public money. Others argue that nuclear power is essential to maintain Britain's energy security and to meet our Kyoto targets and the further emissions reductions which will be required beyond that. Treasury neutrality on this divisive issue was emphatically communicated at the Downing Street meeting by the promise that there would be no new money for energy.

In summing up the meeting, the Prime Minister said little about nuclear power, but came down firmly on the side of accepting the need to meet the Royal Commission's …

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Publication information: Article title: Uranium Dangers: For the Time Being, the Government Will Fudge Nuclear Power, but Tony Blair, like George Bush, Favours Its Expansion. TOM BURKE Gives a Sceptical View. (Energy). Contributors: Burke, Tom - Author. Magazine title: New Statesman (1996). Volume: 132. Issue: 4626 Publication date: February 24, 2003. Page number: vi+. © Not available. COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group.

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