Cost, not safety, is nuclear argument

Tony Blair is facing cabinet opposition over his support for nuclear power stations because there's little idea of how much they'd cost.

Blair said on Tuesday that nuclear plants are back on the agenda "with a vengeance". But cabinet colleagues are less than impressed: formal requests demanding detailed costs have been circulated at cabinet meetings.

Ministers are looking for assurance that the Department of Trade and Industry will give them detailed figures about the cost of nuclear power before it publishes its energy review next month.

They are looking for details about how much it costs to build the power stations and dispose of nuclear waste. The strongest argument against nuclear power stations could be the cost rather than safety.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said in March that the cost of the nuclear clean-up had risen to £70bn.