Comment: Who to trust on nuclear?: Even without Fukushima sceptics might wonder why Britain ignores the German lead on energy

• Published in: The Guardian (London)
• Main Author: Dorfman, Paul
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: London (UK) Guardian News & Media Limited 14.04.2011
• Subjects: Huhne, Chris
• ISSN: 0261-3077

In stark contrast to the "measured exit" from nuclear power of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, the chief executive of EDF insists that new UK reactors "will have to go ahead" - maybe something to do with the pounds 12.4bn they've already spent on buying UK nuclear sites. And when Nick Clegg suggested that the next generation of nuclear power stations may never be built because the recommended higher and more costly safety standards would make them too expensive, Chris Huhne launched an astonishing attack on his party leader, accusing him of behaving like a "headless chicken" on the issue. Huhne's more considered move was to call on the Health and Safety Executive's chief nuclear inspector, Mike Weightman, to do a "thorough report on the implications of the situation in Japan and the lessons to be learned". Sadly, compared to other countries, the HSE review is looking increasingly narrow, with fact-finding and weighing of evidence limited to the usual suspects, excluding involvement from energy experts who are not nuclear power proponents. It almost goes without saying that this has important consequences for public confidence in nuclear regulation and public trust in government.