GENERAL ELECTION UPDATE: WHAT THE RESULTS MEAN FOR NUCLEAR FROM NIA
As you will have seen, the Labour Party has won the general election with a landslide majority of around 170. The Labour Party has taken most of the constituencies covering our major nuclear sites and supply chain, and the Lib Dems have also taken some key nuclear seats, including the constituency covering Hinkley Point C.
Our priority is therefore to build the Government’s and these new Labour MPs’ familiarity, with nuclear’s unique and irreplaceable contribution to our energy, so we can create a fresh core of pro-nuclear Parliamentarians. They will be the ones who decide the future of our nuclear programme.
Over recent months we have been in contact with many candidates who are now Members of Parliament, and we are now making contact with them to congratulate them on their results and building on our core messages around energy security, net zero, and creating good, long-term jobs right across the country.
We also need your help, just as many of you were able to during the campaign. Please invite your new MPs, especially Labour ones, to visit your sites and offices and meet your teams working in their constituencies , so they can appreciate the jobs, investment and opportunity our industry brings to their areas. You can find out who your MP is by going to “Find Your MP” on Parliament.uk to get the right contact details or you can get in touch with our team ExternalAffairs@niauk.org, if you need help. Your engagement really can make a difference.
As a reminder, the NIA is working toward five key asks that we set out in our nuclear manifesto for the UK (as well as manifestos for Scotland and Wales), which we developed with our members to cover the major points on new build, small modular reactors, supply chain opportunities, nuclear fuels and decommissioning and waste management, and we strongly encourage you to continue to use them:
- Progress Sizewell C to a Final Investment Decision by Autumn 2024 and extend the lives of our current power stations.
- Build a fleet of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) across the country and a third large-scale station at Wylfa on Anglesey to help rebuild industrial Britain.
- Make the UK the best place to develop and deploy new nuclear reactors.
- Maximise the UK’s fuel manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand from allies for current and advanced nuclear fuels.
- Selecting a suitable site in a supportive and willing community for a Geological Disposal Facility, a long-term solution for waste.
At a practical level, Keir Starmer will start appointing his Cabinet today, but it may take a few days before all ministers, including their portfolios, are finally confirmed. Pre-election period restrictions on the civil service have lifted, so we may get more contact from them, although there will be a period of “remobilisation” as new ministers get briefed on their new responsibilities.
Please let our Director of Policy and External Affairs lincoln.hill@niauk.org and the External Affairs team know if you have any questions or would like your help with engaging your new MPs.
Tom Greatrex
Chief Executive, Nuclear Industry Association