The UK pioneered nuclear energy but risks being left behind as a second-tier player because while successive governments have “dithered and delayed”, other countries have taken bold steps on their path to decarbonisation and long-term energy security, a campaign group of trade unions said.

Trade Unionists for Safe Nuclear Energy (TUSNE) said president Emannuel Macron of France had reignited the French “nuclear adventure” with a €50bn injection, whilst the UK continues to suffer from a lack of government ambition.