With the drama of election night over, the serious business of the new government getting down to work is well underway now. Priorities which formed part of the manifesto and election campaign have been reiterated, some quick wins big picture announcements have been made, Ministers now appointed and their portfolios set out.
The early days of the new government are about demonstrating credibility, seriousness and delivery. The key missions which the now Prime Minister set out some months ago are having their architecture established, and so the work begins.
I spoke to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, over the weekend who underlined his commitment to working with the Nuclear Industry Association on behalf of the industry in achieving those objectives. He is clear that nuclear power will play a key part in both the 2030 clean power objective and more crucially in the real decarbonisation we need to see for the years beyond that. He is fully aware of both the importance of nuclear to many communities now represented by his Labour Parliamentary colleagues, and the opportunities for jobs, growth and exports in the UK’s supply chain and the responsibility for decommissioning and related activity across the country.
We now have a new Ministerial team, and the Minister whose responsibilities include nuclear, Michael Shanks (who happens to represent the best constituency in the country) will have a crucial role to play.
We at the Nuclear Industry Association will work with the new government, Members of Parliament of all parties and the wider energy and infrastructure community to help facilitate the delivery of the new nuclear capacity that will be an integral part of the mission the government has set out.
Tom Greatrex is the Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association
