A response to a member’s question…

I’m completely opposed to building new nuclear power stations and want to see the existing ones closed down as soon as possible. With the long-term problems associated with nuclear power, not least among which is the problem of waste, we are handing down insoluble problems to future generations.

Critically, we need to be urgently investing in renewable energy, and even talking about new nuclear is a distraction from that.

The best way to prevent nuclear disasters is to shut down the stations, pure and simple, although improving safety is important – however, we also desperately need to improve transparency in the nuclear industry, something made more difficult by the previous government’s decision to privatise.

I want to see the UK as a nuclear-free zone in terms of nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and one of the key drivers of the long-term subsidy nuclear has received has historically been nuclear weapons. (You can see me speaking about nuclear weapons at a recent rally here: http://youtu.be/ifUQ_X6qyso)