By IRNA,
London : An all-party campaign has been launched in the British parliament to suspend the country’s new nuclear programme in the wake of the unfolding meltdown crisis at the earthquake-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.
Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs have joined together with Scottish Nationalists, Northern Ireland’s SDLP and Greens in signing an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for a halt of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.
The EDM expresses deep regret for the loss of life caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan and expresses sincere condolences to all those affected by the disaster and resulting damage to at least four nuclear power stations, while applauding the courage and expertise of those working to make them safe.
The MPs said that they understood the “unique circumstances£” of Japan’s place on a major geological fault-line and welcomed the UK government’s decision to ask for a report from the Chief Nuclear Inspector on the implications of events in Japan for the UK.
But nevertheless. they said, “events in Fukushima underline the extreme dangers inherent in nuclear power, the relative resilience of a completely safe, decentralised and renewable energy supply and the inevitable inability of even the highest design and safety standards to protect us from unforeseen events.”
Britain is resorting to build a new generation of nuclear plants, the first since the mid-1990s, to help fill the country’s impending energy gap caused by the exhaustion of hydrocarbon resources in the North Sea.
On Sunday, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is holding a ‘Vigil for Fukushima’ outside Prime Minister David Cameron’s office, to say no to nuclear power.
As the world watches in horror at the events unfolding in Japan, CND said it was expressing its sympathy with those who may now be affected and calling on the government to abandon plans for new nuclear power stations in the UK.