Chris Mason: Starmer goes nuclear in hunt for long-term growth

Inside the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory building in Preston, Lancashire, we were guided forward amidst a constant buzzing sound. Signs on the wall indicated "Toxic Substance Release Assembly Point," while another with an arrow marked "Critical Operation."

Here also were the British Prime Minister and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. Nuclear scientists, filled with enthusiasm and passion, are studying the future of a transformative carbon-free energy source and conducting exciting research into potential cancer treatments.

However, critics worry about safety, costs, and nuclear waste. Following the disasters at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986 and Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, the nuclear industry needs to persuade those who are skeptical. In the past, promises about the future of nuclear energy have failed to materialize, with nuclear projects having cycles far longer than parliamentary terms, and governments with slim majorities potentially backing away due to controversy.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has expressed dissatisfaction with the decline of the UK's nuclear capabilities, despite Britain once leading the world in nuclear energy development. Calder Hall in Cumbria, the world's first nuclear power station to produce electricity for homes, opened in 1956. In the decade that followed, Britain built 21 reactors. But the last nuclear power station—Sizewell B in Suffolk—opened 30 years ago. At the time, protesters locked themselves in front of its doors. Thirty years later, opponents are sharpening their arguments.

Richard Outram from "Nuclear Free Local Authorities" stated, "The UK's nuclear safety record is not one hundred percent. The nuclear industry is dealing with some of the most lethal substances known to humanity." The Prime Minister believes that Britain's broader economic woes lie in the failure to build infrastructure. He argues that the checks and balances of a democratic system, such as impact assessments and judicial reviews, have become too complex, ultimately hindering project approval.

In other words, there is a collective, inherent bias toward inaction. Relaxing the rules for nuclear power stations in England and Wales is the latest attempt to reverse this. So-called "small modular reactors" can be built on a wider range of sites than existing or past nuclear power stations. For example, past nuclear power stations were all located on the coast because they required large amounts of water for cooling. The new generation of power stations will still need water, but much less, and a nearby river or lake will suffice.

A senior government official stated that the government is trying to "make the most of our majority." Even with some Labour MPs disgruntled, controversial or even unpopular bills are likely to pass in the House of Commons. The Liberal Democrats believe that the focus should now be on renewable energy, while both the Reform UK party and the Conservatives support the government's approach.

Nuclear energy has an otherworldly element to it. Many of us can understand oil and gas: fueling a car, putting a pot on the stove. But to be handed a drinks can labeled, "If nuclear powered your life – the fuel would fit in this can," is mind-boggling. There are also safety concerns. The government's attempts to allay these concerns, to the best of its ability, effectively acknowledge how deeply some people worry about them. In the briefing they sent us before the Prime Minister's visit, it stated that "nuclear power plants are designed with multiple layers of safety, including being robust enough to withstand a direct aircraft impact."

Ministers hope the first of the new nuclear power stations will be providing you with electricity before 2032. Therefore, they are far from a panacea for our economic woes. But the government seems determined to have a long-term vision, while trying to project a spirit of economic dynamism, even if the economy itself is not. The question now is whether new nuclear power stations will actually be built this time.