Davis tries to defuse row over leaving Europe nuclear agency
THE Brexit Secretary last night sought to defuse the row over withdrawal from Europe’s nuclear agency.
David Davis suggested he would try to secure ‘associate membership’ of Euratom, which regulates radioactive material and nuclear power plants.
Remainer Tory MPs had demanded Britain stay in the agency, which is not technically part of the EU but is regulated by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and has legal links to other EU bodies.
The row erupted after claims by the Royal College of Radiologists that leaving could damage cancer treatment by restricting the supply of medical radioactive isotopes used in scans.
But yesterday Brexit minister Steve Baker told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the claims were ‘not correct’, adding: ‘Our advice is that medical radio isotopes and their import into the United Kingdom is not covered by the safeguarding provisions.’
Plans to leave Euratom at the same time as the UK leaves the EU were confirmed when Theresa May sent her Article 50 letter in March, and approved by Parliament.
The EU also says Britain must leave Euratom, but as many as nine Tory MPs have argued Britain should stay in the agency.
Mr Davis told the BBC that associate membership would take Britain out of the rule of the ECJ, which would be replaced by a new ‘arbitration mechanism’.
He said: ‘While we’re leaving the EU we are not leaving Europe, and we want to continue co-operating with our friends and neighbours on issues of mutual importance including nuclear safeguards.
‘By ending the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union, UK courts will be supreme once more.’
Sources last night denied his comments amounted to a climbdown as ministers say EU treaties are ‘uniquely legally joined’ with Euratom and insist there is a ‘strong mutual interest’ for close co-operation once the UK has left the bloc.
Yesterday Conservative MP Anna Soubry – the most ardent Remainer on the Tory benches – urged the Government to try to stay in Euratom, something she said was ‘in the national interest’.