The government has been defeated by the House of Lords after it voted against withdrawing from the Euratom European nuclear agreement without securing a replacement deal first. Energy minister Lord Hutton said the process of leaving Euratom had already begun, and post-Brexit deals with the US and Japan could be at risk if it was delayed. However, Lord Henley, the chair of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "I don't think any of us should take a gamble … with the energy security of our country," and called for Euratom to be retained as a back-up.
The government has been defeated by the House of Lords after it voted against withdrawing from the Euratom European nuclear agreement without securing a replacement deal first. Energy minister Lord Henley said the process of leaving Euratom had already begun, and post-Brexit deals with the US and Japan could be at risk if it was delayed. However, Lord Hutton, the chair of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "I don't think any of us should take a gamble … with the energy security of our country," and called for Euratom to be retained as a back-up.