Electricity Privatisation (Nuclear Power)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:21 pm on 24 July 1989.

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Photo of Mr Tony Benn Mr Tony Benn , Chesterfield 4:21, 24 July 1989

Is the Secretary of State aware that what he has done today is to confirm what many people have long suspected—that nuclear power in Britain is not, and never has been, economic in any sense of the term? The Government have closed many pits, however, and have thrown many miners out of work on the ground that the pits were uneconomic.

Is he also aware that, in the United States, where pressurised water reactors are in private hands, not one has been ordered for 10 years? There is no reason to believe that they will be any different in their economic operations from the Magnox and AGR stations. Is the Secretary of State also aware that, by retaining the costs of Magnox stations in the public sector, he is deliberately giving an enormous subsidy to shareholders who intend to buy parts of the electricity industry? Finally, how could he say that he had no idea of the cost of nuclear power until he tried to sell it off? I think it is virtually a resignation speech when a Minister says that he did not know what he was doing until he tried to sell off an industry and the figures came to light.