Responding to the government’s announcement on the future of nuclear regulation, Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, the largest union for engineers, specialists and technical staff in the nuclear industry, said:

“There are huge risks to jobs in Britain’s nuclear industry if the government gets Brexit wrong.

"The Euratom Treaty is responsible for the safety of nuclear material and the ability of UK industry to operate across the world.

“These latest proposals raise further questions about the Office of Nuclear Regulation’s capacity and resources to oversee our international obligations around nuclear safeguards.

“The plans say nothing about the need for the UK to enter into new agreements with other countries to ensure that we can continue to create jobs and share our expertise in decommissioning and civil nuclear energy.”