UK 'needs nuclear power', govt insists

The British government today insisted the UK needed nuclear power as it prepared to unveil plans to fast-track a new generation of nuclear power stations.

British Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband acknowledged anxieties about nuclear power but said it had a “relatively good” safety record in the UK.

“The basic message here is, we can’t say no to all of the nuclear or all of the low carbon fuels that are out there,” he told GMTV.

“We need nuclear, we need renewables, we need clean coal, we need all of those things if we are going to make that transition to cleaner energy.”

Mr Miliband was speaking as he was due to announce a series of national policy statements which would include a list of sites deemed suitable for new nuclear developments.