US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens has blasted Labour over its announcement that Rolls-Royce will be building three small modular plants on an old nuclear power station site in North Wales. Stephens wanted the US’s Westinghouse Electric Company to build a gigawatt-style plant on the site…
In an unusual intervention, Stephens said the US was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, adding that “high energy costs are an impediment” to the UK as America’s ally. He posted on X:
“We are extremely disappointed by this decision, not least because there are cheaper, faster, and already-approved options to provide clean, safe energy at this same location. If you want to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible and take a big step in addressing energy prices and availability, there is a different path, and we look forward to decisions soon on large scale nuclear projects. As I have repeatedly said, we want the UK to be the strongest possible ally to the United States, and high energy costs are an impediment to that.”
Starmer is heading up there today to face broadcasters. In the meantime Ed Miliband fired back:
“The reason he doesn’t think it’s so great is because he wanted a US company to be at this site. We chose a British company, Rolls-Royce for this site, and I make no apologies for that. Our job is to stand up for the national interest.”
Thanks Ed…
Local government minister Alison McGovern told LBC that the BBC should apologise to Trump:
“If they’ve made an editorial mistake, then they should apologise. And, more broadly, I think if they’ve made errors, I think the answer to that is better quality journalism, and to invest in that journalism so that we can have the standard of programmes we all want from the BBC.”