CUNNINGHAME North Constituency Labour party is aiming to shape the UK party’s policy on the issue of nuclear energy.

The local party have submitted a motion to next week’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool that advocates the need for increased renewable and nuclear generation.

It calls for a review of Scottish Government’s ban on new nuclear developments at Hunterston and Torness.

Labour in North Ayrshire are furious at the local SNP’s recent attempt to preclude future nuclear developments at Hunterston by amending North Ayrshire’s local plan.

Local party spokesman Councillor Alex Gallagher commented: “Kenny Gibson, in his dutiful role as Edinburgh’s man in North Ayrshire, instructed local SNP councillors to do this. As usual, Kenny failed.

“To the dismay of the industry and trade unions, Mr Gibson claimed recently that new nuclear generation is ‘prohibitively expensive’. This is not the view of the Scottish Government who believe that ‘Scotland doesn’t need nuclear power’. We believe that it is time to put that assertion to the test and to the sword.

“EDF Hunterston B is the biggest private sector employer in both their seats and the building of Hunterston C is the biggest economic opportunity that Ayrshir e has had in decades.” Kenneth Gibson MSP hit back:

“This is desperate stuff from Labour. EDF who know Hunterston B has absolutely no plans whatsoever to build a new nuclear power station, which would cost billions, at Hunterston. Hinkley Point is already going to cost at least £25 billion and is years behind schedule. In a deal with China, electricity prices from Hinkley have been fixed at almost twice the current energy price. No doubt Labour are happy that people will pay sky-high bills for their energy in future but the SNP is not.

“As for the pathetic comments of Councillor Gallagher, I have not even discussed this issue with SNP councillors, let alone ‘instructed’ them. “Clearly, Labour across the UK and here in North Ayrshire, need to stop fighting each other before they will be taken seriously on the issue of nuclear power or anything else!”

Patricia Gibson MP said: “Labour’s hypocrisy on the nuclear issue is astonishing; my predecessor as MP consistently voted against new nuclear power stations and the SNP policy on nuclear power is exactly the same as Labour’s was when it last held office in the Scottish Parliament.” Delegates to next week’s Labour conference in Liverpool are local party Chair, Johanna Baxter and former Fraser of Allander Chief Economist, Jim Stevens.

Mr Stevens commented: “Global warming poses an existential threat to all life on this planet and we must urgently embrace low carbon technology, on all fronts. We face serious challenges if we are to avert a disastrous ‘Hothouse Earth’. Nuclear energy is a Green technology and we will not win this battle without it. Scottish Government policy needs to change. Scotland currently needs nuclear power and will continue to do so.”