LONDON TORIES REVEAL CAMERON GREENWASH IS JUST A SHOW - TUFFREY

11.49.04am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 16th Jun 2006

Labour and the Tories today combined forces at the London Assembly to defeat a Liberal Democrat motion opposing any further developments of nuclear power stations.

Speaking after the Liberal Democrat motion that urged the Assembly to make its views against nuclear power known before the Government's review into nuclear power reports this summer, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesman on the London Assembly, Mike Tuffrey, said:

"The Tories on the London Assembly today have shown us just how flimsy David Cameron's greenwash really is. The Tories have always been pro-nuclear and a revamping of their PR strategy is not going to change a belief many of them hold to the core.

"Labour are no better. Despite their Mayor's opposition to nuclear power, Labour Assembly Members ignored all this and supported the Tories. They proved today that when it comes to the crunch, Labour will be backing the development of new nuclear power stations when the review reports this summer.

"Nuclear is unpopular, unsafe and unproven economically. Londoners don't want it and their performance today shows just how out of touch these two parties are with the electorate."

Notes to the Editors

1. The text of the motion reads:

"This Assembly supports the establishment of a sustainable energy system for London, with increased energy efficiency and the widespread roll out of renewable technologies and decentralised power generation. Noting the high level of Co2 emissions associated with extracting uranium, building and decommissioning nuclear power stations, and the unsolved problems of nuclear waste disposal and transportation, this Assembly opposes plans to build new nuclear power stations in the UK and as such will lobby at all levels of government including the Prime Minister to ensure that the review into nuclear power due to report before the summer, knows of the Assembly's opposition to further developments of nuclear power stations."