GMB accuses Labour of ‘lazy thinking’ on nuclear

The leader of the UK’s third biggest union has launched an attack on Labour’s front bench business and energy team, branding their stance on nuclear power “insipid” and expressing doubt they are on top of the brief.

Speaking at a Labour annual conference fringe debate organised by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), GMB general secretary Gary Smith said: “The current front bench spokespersons’ support for nuclear has been pretty insipid. I’m not sure that folk are truly on top of the energy brief full stop, there is far too much focus on renewables.”

He said that Labour’s position on nuclear power, which ranged from “insipid” to “hostile”, had done “enormous damage” to the party’s support in constituencies where the nuclear industry is an important source of employment.

He said it had cost the party votes at the Copeland by-election in 2016, which is widely seen as a harbinger for Conservative victories across the north of England in the subsequent 2019 general election.

But he said the party’s lukewarm position reflected how Labour politicians and the left more broadly had been “captured” by the “renewables lobby.”

“The debate has become completely unbalanced: there is a lot of lazy thinking on the left and lack of proper debate and discussion within trade unions.

“I’m sick to the back teeth of being lectured by politicians and people within other trade unions about an industry they have not taken ten minutes to understand: the nuclear industry is far more complex and deserves far more attention.”

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the NIA, said he was “astonished” that Labour had not been more vocal about nuclear’s role in the transition to net zero as a source of low-carbon, baseload power.

He said: “We can’t get to net zero without nuclear, it’s not possible.

“I’m astonished that we are seen as a party almost frightened of saying it and there’s no reason to be frightened about saying it, this is what a responsible, incoming Labour government should be dong to provide the clean energy we need, to prove energy security and provide lots of high skilled well paid jobs across the country.”

Greatrex, who is a former shadow energy minister, welcomed recent pro-nuclear power statements of support by business secretary Ed Miliband , leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeve but warned they were  “not enough”.

“We need to see that commitment carried through so that people understand the Labour Party understand their industry.”

He also criticised the government for not taking more decisive action to tackle energy insecurity in 2013 when the issue last cropped up significantly

“They should have got on with it. It’s ten years on and have hardly moved forward.”