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Birt's move to head nuclear inquiry is blocked by Cabinet

Andrew Grice
Sunday 27 November 2005 20:00 EST
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Lord Birt, a strategic adviser to Tony Blair, has failed in his attempt to be appointed head of the Government's inquiry into whether to build a new generation of nuclear power stations.

The former BBC director-general conducted a preliminary assessment of Britain's energy needs for Downing Street and hoped to chair the full-scale review to be announced by the Prime Minister tomorrow.

But the move was blocked by cabinet ministers including Alan Johnson, the Sec-retary of State for Trade and Industry, whose department is responsible for energy. The review is now expected to be conducted by civil servants.

Lord Birt is rated highly by Mr Blair but is regarded as a shadowy and controversial figure at Westminster. Last week, the Prime Minister was criticised by MPs for refusing to allow his "blue skies" thinker to be quizzed by a Commons select committee.

Earlier this year, Lord Birt was reported to have applied for a £300,000-a-year job as chairman of Urenco, one of the world's biggest uranium enrichment companies. He did not land the post and his contract as an unpaid Downing Street adviser was renewed.

Mr Blair wants the review of energy supplies to report next year so he can push through plans to build new nuclear stations on the site of existing plants before he stands down. He will try to "sell" the idea as a way of combating global warming.

But the move is highly controversial within the Labour Party. Many MPs are worried about the potential costs, the risks of a nuclear accident and terrorist attack, and waste disposal problems.

Some ministers hope to delay a decision until after Mr Blair steps down. Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for the Environment, said further studies might be needed after this week's review. She told ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme nuclear power was not a "sustainable" form of energy but conceded it might have to be embraced to combat climate change and secure supplies.

In a blow to the Prime Minister's plans, it has emerged that Nirex, the nuclear waste body, had warned most nuclear station sites are threatened by climate change because they are vulnerable to coastal erosion and a rise in the sea level.

Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, suggested a levy on consumers' power bills to pay for up to 20 new nuclear stations, according to the leaked transcript of a meeting with representatives of the nuclear industry. But the Department of Trade and Industry stressed that Sir David's views do not necessarily represent government policy, and said the energy review would "look at the entire energy mix".

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