The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today condemned an apparent attempt by Nirex to manipulate and distort the debate on new nuclear power stations in the UK. A Nirex document dated October 2004 outlines the organisation’s strategy to overturn public opposition to underground nuclear waste burial and new nuclear power stations by putting pressure on government committees and isolating politicians who question underground nuclear waste disposal.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “Britain must hold a full and open debate on the future of nuclear power in this country, based on facts, not industry spin. Nirex’s strategy to overturn public opposition to the burying of nuclear waste and pave the way for new nuclear power stations runs in stark contrast to its stated position of neutrality on new nuclear build. Any attempt to manipulate and distort the debate on nuclear waste disposal and new nuclear power stations, particularly by an advisory group to the government, could have serious consequences for thousands of years to come.”

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Notes to Editor:

1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND's Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. The full Nirex report of October 2004 is available online at http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/f/fb/Nirex.pdf
3. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org