Nuclear plant and AI growth zone will bring jobs to Wales for years – PM

SIR Keir Starmer has hailed the development of a small modular nuclear reactor and artificial intelligence growth zone in Wales as “probably the biggest announcement for a generation” that would bring jobs to the area “for decades to come”.

- SOPHIE WINGATE, HELEN CORBETT and EMILY BEAMENT

The Prime Minister said more than 6,500 jobs would be created as he visited Anglesey yesterday.

The UK's first small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power station will be built at Wylfa by publicly owned Great British Energy-Nuclear and is backed by £2.5bn investment from the UK Government.

Ministers also announced the latest AI growth zone will be established in the region. Sir Keir said the “absolutely amazing” data centre will be a “magnet to bring in even more jobs”.

Downing Street and Westminster Energy Secretary Ed Miliband earlier defended the nuclear plant plans after criticism from US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, who said Washington was “extremely disappointed” by the decision.

Mr Miliband said he made “no apologies” for the UK's decision to choose Britain's Rolls-Royce to design the reactor, after demands from Donald Trump's administration for a US manufacturer to be chosen.

A No 10 spokesman said the project “doesn’t close the door to a larger plant elsewhere” with US involvement. And the Prime Minister insisted the decision to back SMR technology at Wylfa was not an “either/or”.

“It is not an SMR or wider nuclear. We are doing to do both,” he added.