Autumn Statement Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: HM Treasury

Autumn Statement

Alan Brown Excerpts
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

(1 year, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Alan Brown Portrait Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)
- View Speech - Hansard - -

As a so-called “prudent Chancellor”, he cancelled HS2 to Manchester because of the spiralling costs of that project. Yet despite the cost of the likes of Hinkley Point C rising from £18 billion to £33 billion, and the fact that there is no successful EPR—European pressurised reactor—project in the world, he has today confirmed yet again a blank cheque for the nuclear industry. Sizewell C is likely to cost £40 billion and he has a taxpayer 20% stake in it. If it is good enough for HS2, why does he not scrap Sizewell C and save us from that nuclear financial disaster?

Jeremy Hunt Portrait Jeremy Hunt
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

Because if we want to get to net zero, we are going to have to have more renewable energy and, unfortunately for the hon. Gentleman and for me, there are days when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow.