May faces Tory Brexit rebellion over bid to leave nuclear agency

THERESA May faces a rebellion by Tory MPs over plans to leave an EU-run nuclear regulator as part of Brexit, it emerged last night.

Both British ministers and European leaders say Britain must formally leave the Euratom agency – which is governed by European judges – when we leave the EU.

But up to nine pro-EU Tory MPs want Britain to stay in the agency. Yesterday former business minister Anna Soubry warned against an ‘absolutist approach’ and said ‘staying in Euratom would be part of a responsible Brexit’.

The Government’s approach was also criticised by Dominic Cummings, who led the Vote Leave campaign. He said ministers were ‘morons to say they’re withdrawing from Euratom’.

Writing on Twitter, he said it was ‘near-retarded on every dimension – policy, politics, science and bureaucratic.’

The spat is the first skirmish over what is expected to be a long Parliamentary Brexit battle over the Great Repeal Bill, which is being published by ministers later this week. The Bill will cover the process for seeing all the EU law that currently affects UK law transposed into domestic law.

Addressing the Euratom issue in the Commons yesterday, Mrs May said she would seek a close relationship with the agency after the UK leaves the EU.

‘Membership of Euratom is inextricably linked with membership of the European Union,’ she said. ‘But what we are doing, as was signalled in the Queen’s Speech with reference to a future Bill on this issue, is wanting to ensure that we can maintain those relationships, that co-operation with Euratom, which enables the exchange of scientists, the exchange of material. There are countries around the world that have that relationship with Euratom which are not members of the European Union but we need to put that Bill in place and I look forward to your support for that Bill.’

Among the countries who are not in the EU but have Euratom agreements are the US, Canada and China. The row erupted as First Secretary of State Damian Green left open the possibility of Britain remaining subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice – the EU’s court – for a short period after Brexit. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘It’s not an ideological determination, it’s what people voted for in the referendum, the Brexit side won.

‘If we said now we’re going to stay inside the single market which will mean that the European Court will

‘It’s how people voted – Brexit won’

decide some basic questions that happen inside this country, I think people would feel that we hadn’t left the European Union.’

But he added that in some areas there would be a transition ‘for a limited amount of time…to make sure that business can have the certainty to carry on as we wanted.’

Over the weekend, pro-Remain Tories including former attorney general Dominic Grieve and ex-education secretary Nicky Morgan attacked Mrs May for refusing to allow any role for the ECJ after Brexit. Mr Grieve told the Sunday Telegraph the Government should have an open mind, saying: ‘We have to be realistic. Some of the attitudes to the ECJ seem to be a bit kneejerk. It has a pariah status.’

‘I’ve never been particularly impressed with it, but the fact is it is there and it’s going to be doing a lot of work that is relevant to us.’

Officials also rubbished a claim that cancer patients could face delays in treatment as a result of leaving Euratom. The head of the Royal College of Radiologists, Nicola Strickland, told the Evening Standard that pulling out of Euratom could restrict the UK’s access to imported radioactive isotopes used in scans and treatment. She said: ‘The Royal College of Radiologists, like others in medicine and industry, is seriously concerned about continued access to these materials if we leave the Euratom treaty under Brexit.’

But a Government spokesman said: ‘This simply isn’t true. The availability of medical radioisotopes will not be impacted by the UK’s exit from Euratom.

‘We remain absolutely committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety, safeguards and support for the industry.’