Government accused of pro-nuclear PR campaign
The British Government has been accused of instigating a pro-nuclear PR campaign in the wake of disastrous Fukushima incident in Japan in order to prevent a new generation of nuclear plants being derailed in the UK – according to a leaked email.
Reports in the guardian, which has seen the internal emails, suggest that officials were scrambling to put a lid on the situation just 48 hours after the tsunami caused one of the biggest nuclear disasters in history.
An unnamed official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "This has the potential to set the nuclear industry back globally. We need to ensure the anti-nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. We need to occupy the territory and hold it. We really need to show the safety of nuclear."
Addressed to leading energy providers including EDF Energy, Areva and Westinghouse the document appears to illustrate coordination between government and the industry.