The UK's third largest political party, the Liberal Democrats, has echoed the recent warnings of the former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev that nuclear power is not economically viable.
Warning against the financial cost of nuclear power, Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell has stated that UK tax payers would be hit with the ultimate stealth tax if a program of new nuclear build was pursued.
The Lib Dems, seen by many as the ‘greenest’ of the UK mainstream political parties, said that billions would have to forked out by British citizens to persuade energy firms to invest in expensive nuclear infrastructure. Mr Campbell also suggested that the decommissioning bill for the current nuclear power generation was already a GBP90 billion burden.
The Lib Dems’ assessment of the issue would appear to be in line with that of former Russian premier Mikhail Gorbachev, who also recently warned the UK prime minister Tony Blair that nuclear power was not justified economically or socially.
The damming comments come as the Labour government is poised to publish its energy review, which is expected to involve an endorsement for a new generation of atomic power plants. This strategy has already received the public backing of the prime minister.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are promoting policies of improved energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewable power as solutions to the UK’s energy needs.