New Nuclear Now

West Cumbria needs new nuclear power now and so I’ve launched a cross-party campaign to bring the next generation of nuclear energy to our area. 

Our area has a proud history of shaping the UK’s future and we can again. Bringing new nuclear power to our area is critical for lowering bills and unlocking new energy-intensive industrial and advanced manufacturing jobs. Jobs that would put West Cumbria at the frontier of the global race to transition to Net Zero. 

We recently found out that the first small modular reactors (SMRs) will be going to Teesside and not West Cumbria after government roadblocks over land at Moorside took West Cumbria out of the running for first place.

And the latest news is that Rolls Royce are warning the government they’ll build their first SMRs in Europe and not the UK because of delays in UK government decision making.

We’ve been shafted by the government and I’m absolutely furious. And I know many in the local community will be too.

West Cumbria could and should be the first site for SMRs in the UK.

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There is a locally led plan for new nuclear power but government roadblocks are putting it at risk. There are three practical asks I’ve made of government so that West Cumbria can lead the way in nuclear energy again:

  • End the block on the purchase of land near Sellafield so that new nuclear can be built here. This land is government owned and if they continue to block a sale we’ll risk losing out on the next wave of new nuclear.
  • Boost staffing at the Office of Nuclear Regulation to speed up the approval of new nuclear power station designs. This currently takes about three years so it’s a major bottleneck for building new nuclear.
  • Make West Cumbria a priority site for new nuclear power. This will help us get ready to make new nuclear happen.

Lots of promises about new nuclear have been made and broken by this government.

You can have rock solid confidence that if you elect me as your Labour MP, I’ll be an unwavering champion for our area’s nuclear future.

My career outside of politics has been spent working on a cross-party basis to make positive change happen and I’ll bring this same approach to my work as you Member of Parliament. 

Read my first letter to the Secretary of State: