Lib Dem vote backs nuclear power plants

Ed Davey Ed Davey told delegates nuclear was a 'genuinely low carbon source of electricity'


Party members at the Glasgow conference voted 230 to 183 to support nuclear power in "limited" circumstances.

Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey earlier warned the Party not backing nuclear would be "reckless".

He said he had changed his mind because of climate change.

The motion also backed continued operations at existing nuclear power stations until the end of their working lives.

Delegates also voted to support fracking - but with an amendment to ensure that pollution levels were properly monitored and residents living close to fracking sites were properly consulted about plans.

'Massive danger'

Mr Davey said climate change posed a real and massive danger to the planet and warned Liberal Democrats the party would look reckless if they ruled out nuclear - a "genuinely low carbon source of electricity" - as an option.


Start Quote

New nuclear must be cost-competitive. We will not repeat the history of mistakes on nuclear”

End Quote Ed Davey

Campaigners had urged Lib Dems to reject the motion, ahead of the vote calling it a "crunch day" for the party.

Craig Bennett, of Friends of the Earth, said the Lib Dem backing of nuclear power had punched "a huge hole in the Liberal Democrats' fast-sinking green credibility".





Wind turbines Ed Davey announced a new cash incentive to build more wind turbines on the Scottish islands


Mr Davey said he was absolutely determined not to sign any contract for new nuclear power stations which relied on public subsidy, adding: "New nuclear must be cost-competitive. We will not repeat the history of mistakes on nuclear."

He also announced a new cash incentive to build more wind turbines on the Scottish islands, including Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

He told delegates that the "huge wind potential" of Scotland's Islands had been well known but that other parties had done nothing about it.

He said he hoped the draft deal, which would be worth £115 per mega watt hour (MWh) for onshore wind, would help harness the "amazing green energy sources" on the islands.


Mr Davey's speech comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg unveiled plans to charge 5p for plastic bags in England in a bid to discourage their use.


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