Strong support for nuclear power
Voters of all three main political parties support nuclear power and are in favour of changes to the planning system to make it easier to build new nuclear plants, according to a major poll by YouGov for EDF Energy.
Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of all voters now say that nuclear power is needed as part of a balanced energy source for the UK.
The poll of 4,300 people revealed strong support among voters of all three major political parties, including the Liberal Democrats.
Nearly three out of every five Liberal Democrat voters (58 per cent) believe nuclear energy needs to be part of the future energy balance, compared with just 15 per cent that opposed the idea. That compares with the support of 74 per cent of Conservative voters and 64 per cent of Labour voters.
There is also support across the political spectrum to reform planning regulations to build new nuclear stations, with 48 per cent agreeing and 18 per cent disagreeing.
Among Liberal Democrat voters, 42 per cent agree planning regulations should be changed to make it easier to build nuclear power stations on the same sites as old ones. Only 25 per cent disagree.
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