16 May 2006 - Green Party MEP and Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas has warned Tony Blair may have made his last mistake as PM after it emerged he would use tonight’s speech to business leaders to outline his backing for new nuclear power stations.

“This speech confirms our belief that Tony Blair has already made up his mind – and he is determined to go ahead with new nuclear power plants regardless of their costs – or danger,” she said.

Dr Lucas, MEP for South East England and a member of the European Parliament’s influential environment committee, said his backing for nuclear in his address to the CBI undermined the Government’s ongoing energy review – and would costs the UK dear in terms of cash and safety.

“Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous and expensive – and doesn’t provide a solution to either climate change or the end of oil,” she said.

“It produces a deadly legacy of nuclear waste which we still don’t know how to deal with – and creates a devastating target for terrorists.

“Nuclear power is not emissions-free – and relies on ever-scarcer supplies of uranium ore, found only in some of the most politically unstable countries in the world,” she said .

“To cap it all, nuclear power is completely unnecessary – even a doubling of nuclear capacity could only cut our greenhouse gas emissions by eight per cent, according to the Sustainable Development Commission.

“As they, and so many others, have argued, we need a massive investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency if we are to achieve the necessary CO2 cuts to stave off climate disaster.”

ENDS