Nuclear project fears

PLAns for a £10bn nuclear power plant to provide up to 7pc of the UK’s electricity needs look a step closer to collapse.

Developer nugen yesterday laid off 60 of its 100 staff as it tries to find investors.

The project in Moorside, cumbria, has been in trouble since late 2016 amid financial problems at parent firm Toshiba and subsidiary Westinghouse, which was building the reactors.

Justin Bowden, from the GMB union, said lessons should have been learned long ago that ‘relying on foreign companies and countries for our energy needs is utterly irresponsible’.