Starmer ignored nuclear watchdog when he blamed regulations for delays

Hinkley Point C nuclear power station under construction in 2023. 2017. EDF said the following year that the station might not be finished until 2031. Photograph: Pictorial Press/Alamy

Keir Starmer ignored warnings from his nuclear safety watchdog that it was wrong to blame regulations for delays building new reactors when he launched a plan to revive the nuclear power industry.

The prime minister unveiled the nuclear renaissance strategy in February and said investment had slumped because the industry was “suffocated by regulations”.