UK prime minister Boris Johnson has told nuclear industry bosses that the government wants the UK to get 25% of its electricity from nuclear power – an increase of about 10% from current levels – in a move that would signal a significant shift in the country’s energy mix.

Mr Johnson met executives from major nuclear utilities and technology companies including the UK’s Rolls-Royce, France’s EDF, and the US’s Westinghouse and Bechtel to discuss ways of helping to speed up the development of new nuclear power stations.

In a statement Downing Street said the prime minister made clear the vision for nuclear to be a major part of the UK’s future energy system as a clean, reliable and safe energy source. “He set out this government’s commitment to supporting the industry to develop a thriving pipeline of future nuclear projects in the UK in a cost-effective way,” the statement said.