Philip Sime

Is Theresa May using Hinkley Point to hold the French hostage over Brexit?

Plans to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset suffered a surprise setback on Friday after the Government said it wanted to ‘review’ the decision before it gave the go-ahead. But what are EDF – the French company which had approved funding for the project – and the French press making of the Hinkley hold-up?

With the Brexit vote having tested Franco-British relations somewhat in recent weeks, Theresa May’s decision to review the building of Britain’s first new nuclear power plant in two decades isn’t helping matters – with the French press reacting with consternation to the delay.

France 24 reports that senior EDF executives were planning to uncork the champagne on Friday in a celebration that was hastily cancelled following the government’s surprise announcement. The Paris-based broadcaster suggested that Theresa May’s wariness about Chinese investment was the reason for the delay.

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