Britain to build Europe's first nuclear fuel factory in a move Rishi Sunak says ... trends now

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Britain is to build Europe's first facility for producing advanced nuclear fuel, in a bid to bolster energy security and squeeze Russia out of the lucrative export market.

Unveiling £200million in support for the new plant in Cheshire, Rishi Sunak said the move would 'prise Vladimir Putin's blood-soaked hands off Europe's energy market'.

Russia is currently the only commercial producer of advanced nuclear fuels required to run the next generation of modular nuclear reactors. 

Under the new proposal, nuclear specialist Urenco will build a uranium enrichment plant at Capenhurst, near Ellesmere Port, capable of producing 10 tonnes a year of the fuel by the early 2030s.