Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2026 [Draft]
24 Jun 2026 · S7 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Nuclear Power in Scotland
I thank my colleague Liam Kerr for securing the motion for debate. He has done a sterling job of representing the nuclear industry for many years. It was also nice to hear about Ibiza; he must enjoy the infamous electronic dance scene there.
I am speaking in the debate because I was introduced to nuclear many years ago for a short period. Way back in the early 2000s, I was a police officer in Caithness, which has Dounreay. I did not know much about nuclear before I went there but, when I was going around Thurso, I got to know just how important the industry is. Stephen Kerr spoke about skills—the entire economy in that area is focused on nuclear. Young people were excited to work in the sector, even though the site was being decommissioned. That is the point: there were good, skilled jobs, which allowed young people to stay in the area, so that they could have crofts and families and build houses. That is why things such as nuclear power are so important, but when there is ideological opposition—the Greens are not even in the room for the debate; they are not even willing to discuss it—it is not a good place for the Government to be.
I learned at that moment, as I am sure is the case down in Torness in the Lothians—[Interruption.] I am happy to give way.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S7M-00258, in the name of Liam Kerr, on nuclear power in Scotland.Motion debated,That the P...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
In the years since I first contributed to a debate in this Parliament on new nuclear power in Scotland, four of the six parties in the chamber have come to s...
Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
The member keeps talking about baseload. Does he realise that, as long ago as 2015, the then chief executive of National Grid said that baseload was an “outd...
Liam Kerr
Con
For the member to stand up and say that baseload is an outdated concept is an extraordinary intervention. As I reminded him about three weeks ago, he does no...
Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate the member for securing the debate, which seems, in effect, to be on behalf of the trade body the Nuclear Industry Association. It will come a...
Liam Kerr
Con
What the member has said is not true. As I said in my remarks, Hinkley Point C’s strike price is about £131 per megawatt hour, and the strike price for float...
Alan Brown
SNP
The member is not listening to me. Okay—I said that the strike price was £130 for Hinkley Point C, and it is £131, so I stand corrected there.The strike pric...
Duncan Massey (North East Scotland) (Reform)
Reform
The member makes some good points about Hinkley Point C, but that probably highlights issues with the planning and regulatory regime in the UK, as is the cas...
Alan Brown
SNP
I thought that the member would return to the South Korea example. Clearly, it had lower labour costs, material costs and so on, and a different regime. Howe...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The member is already in additional time so he should not take any interventions.
Alan Brown
SNP
Okay—thank you, Presiding Officer.Of course, it is undeniable that new nuclear will create jobs. Give me £400 billion and I could create jobs in marine energ...
Stephen Kerr (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Alan Brown says that nuclear is not clean energy. He should tell his beloved European Union that, because it has redesignated nuclear as green and clean. He ...
Alan Brown
SNP
I will go back to the point about the reliability of nuclear power. Aside from the stat that I gave earlier—that nuclear is operational only 78 per cent of t...
Stephen Kerr
Con
Alan Brown is again finding some spurious reason to deny the reality of the reliability of nuclear power. Yes, there may be bottlenecks in the transmission s...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The member cannot take any further interventions.
Stephen Kerr
Con
It is because France has determined to become truly independent in terms of energy sources, including nuclear, which is the backbone of its energy system.The...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
I remind members that they must show courtesy and respect to other members at all times.18:19
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Liam Kerr, who is a member for North East Scotland, for lodging this motion for members’ business, which I was pleased to sign.Scotland gave the worl...
Michelle Campbell (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Paul Sweeney
Lab
Yes.
Michelle Campbell
SNP
I point to my entry in the register of members’ interests as a serving councillor on Renfrewshire Council.The Scottish councils committee on radioactive subs...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
Absolutely. Inevitably, existing nuclear reactors will have to be decommissioned. That is an important part of the sector. However, we need to look at how to...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I thank my colleague Liam Kerr for securing the motion for debate. He has done a sterling job of representing the nuclear industry for many years. It was als...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
The member might want to note the heritage of Dounreay, in his part of the world. The pioneering development there is to try to create a closed-loop zero-was...
Tim Eagle
Con
I absolutely recognise that. The member has just taken me back to a tour that I was given of Dounreay, which was an experimental site—did it have fast reacto...
Miles Briggs (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con)
Con
I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on nuclear power in Scotland, and I congratulate my friend and colleague Liam Kerr on securing...
David Green (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD)
LD
I, too, congratulate Liam Kerr on securing the debate. As he knows, I share the concern, which has been echoed by Stephen Kerr, Paul Sweeney and Miles Briggs...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
David Green makes an excellent point about Dounreay, but does he recognise that one of the key advantages of repowering existing sites is that they are alrea...
David Green
LD
Yes, I absolutely agree with Paul Sweeney, and I will come on to talk about the connection between decommissioning and the opportunities for new nuclear ener...
Liam Kerr
Con
I am very much enjoying David Green’s contribution. When I took an intervention earlier on decommissioning, which the member concerned was right to raise, it...