Campaigners reject John Whittingdale's praise for Bradwell B

It comes after Maldon MP John Whittingdale spoke in the House of Commons in favour of a new nuclear plant at Bradwell-on-Sea.

The Conservative MP said he is “still positive about the possibility” of it being the site for Bradwell B, “whoever designs and owns it”.

He mentioned the benefits the former Bradwell A plant had brought to the area.

The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (Banng) has slammed his comments.

A spokesman for Banng said: “They not only ignore the disbenefits that a new power station would bring but, in particular, they ignore the effects that climate change in the not-too-distant future is likely to wreak on the low-lying Bradwell site, such as flooding, storm surges and other coastal processes.”

They also claim the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), in its advice to the Government, reinforced the arguments Banng has been making for 14 years.

“The NIC has stated that there is no need for a third large nuclear power station – most likely Bradwell B – to be built to contribute to net zero carbon emissions by 2035, beyond Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C,” the Banng spokesman added.

“The commission also believes that a third station could not come online until the 2040s and that ‘trying and failing’ to construct one ‘would jeopardise delivery’ of the UK’s 2035 net-zero plans.”

Banng says the case put forward by the NIC reiterates campaigners’ views that nuclear power plants are “incredibly difficult to deliver on short timescales”.

The commission also states that of all mega projects, nuclear power stations “face the greatest challenges because of the correlation between size of project and cost and delivery overruns”.

Public opposition is noted as a key contributor to these overruns.

Banng says NIC agrees with its argument that what is required is “rapid deployment of new low-carbon capacity over the next 15 years”

and adds that “the vast majority of this capacity should be wind and solar power”.