Hinkley nuclear deal: what it means for the global race and the big freeze

Today is, as we all know, the start of economy week in Westminster, with politicians striving to show that all that jubilant talk about dawns breaking over the hill this summer wasn’t misplaced. The Hinkley Point deal, the first new nuclear plant in a generation, is supposed to show that Britain is open for business, is building, and is providing jobs and training for a new generation of workers in a new generation of nuclear plants.

On the Today programme this morning Energy Secretary Ed Davey tried to outline some of the value that this deal with EDF and Beijing-controlled energy companies China National Nuclear Corporation and China General Nuclear Power Group would have for this country. He said:

‘We do think this is a very good deal for UK industry, not least because 57 per cent of the value of the project is going to go to UK firms. So there’s going to be UK firms and UK workers getting jobs and investment as a result of the deal that we’re agreeing.’