20:42 Josh MacAlister (Labour)

From our dependence on fossil fuel towards the end of the 20th century, however, we know that that was not the case. It was the last Labour Government that reignited interest in new nuclear in 2005. The then Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair, announced a review of the Government’s energy policy in order to reduce our reliance on foreign imports and tackle the threat of climate change. He recognised that we could not do that with renewables alone and he rightly and firmly put civil nuclear power back on the table.

West Cumbrians are ready to play our part in Britain’s new nuclear future. We are globally recognised in the nuclear sector as an area with a match-fit supply chain, decades of knowledge, and the experience needed to build complex nuclear technology. We have a strong skills base that wants to deliver the net zero infrastructure of the future, backed up by the excellent educational institutions needed. My hon. Friend the Minister and the Government have been handed a mess by their predecessors, which they are now being asked to fix at the eleventh hour. It is my hope that the new Government will support Cumbria in our ambitions, and remove the roadblocks that stand in our way.

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20:57 Jonathan Brash (Labour)

In my brief remarks—I do not want to take up too much the House’s time—I want to impress three things on the Minister. First, the delivery of new nuclear for towns such as Hartlepool and elsewhere is integral to our mission to secure clean power. Secondly, it is incredibly important for decarbonising our industry, particularly the advanced modular reactor options potentially available in Hartlepool. Thirdly, and most importantly, new nuclear can deliver for communities such as mine the reindustrialisation and prosperity that has been taken from them for generations; it can truly transform our local economy. My message to the Minister is that time is of the essence. Decisions are required. We have had 14 years of dither and delay. Now we can truly change our communities for the better.

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20:59 Tom Hayes (Labour)

To meet our growing energy needs and prevent the catastrophic costs of climate change, we need nuclear alongside renewables. It is that simple. With nuclear power, more jobs will be highly skilled, well paid and unionised, and here I commend the dedicated and consistent work of the GMB union over many years.

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