Britain Remade has called on the new Prime Minister and Energy Secretary to press ahead with the Nuclear Regulation Bill, arguing that accelerating nuclear development is essential to cutting emissions, strengthening energy security and supporting long-term economic growth.
The pro-growth campaign group says the legislation, announced in May’s King’s Speech, must remain a priority despite changes within the Government.
It argues that reforming the UK’s nuclear regulatory framework would reduce delays, lower project costs and help deliver more low-carbon electricity from domestic sources and has urged Andy Burnham not to stray from the path.
The campaign highlights the findings of John Fingleton’s Nuclear Regulatory Review, which identified duplicated regulation, lengthy consenting processes and extensive environmental assessment requirements as significant barriers to new nuclear development.
Britain Remade argues that implementing the review’s recommendations through primary legislation would provide greater certainty than relying on guidance alone.
The group also points to the example of Hinkley Point C, where it says additional environmental requirements have contributed to rising costs and delays. It supports proposals allowing developers to contribute to a nature restoration fund instead of undertaking multiple site-specific mitigation measures, arguing this would benefit both biodiversity and infrastructure delivery.
Nuclear power is widely regarded as a key component of the UK’s net zero strategy, providing reliable low-carbon electricity to complement renewable generation while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Supporters argue that streamlining regulation could accelerate deployment, helping to reduce emissions and improve energy resilience.
Sam Richards, CEO of Britain Remade, said: “To achieve his pledge to tackle the cost of living crisis and bring down energy costs Andy Burnham must do what has evaded so many of his recent predecessors and fix the fundamentals. This means removing the roadblocks that make Britain the most expensive place on earth to build new nuclear power stations. Key to this is delivering the Nuclear Energy Bill from the King’s Speech.
“Britain will not achieve energy independence while nuclear developers are forced through duplicated environmental assessments, speculative mitigation demands and endless legal processes that add years of delay and billions in costs.
“The choice is straightforward. Either Britain gets serious about building the clean, secure, homegrown energy we need and reducing household bills, or this bill will become another missed opportunity watered down by the same broken system that made new nuclear so expensive and so slow in the first place.”
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