We asked you to submit your questions to candidates standing in the 2024 General Election.
From all your submissions, we chose 10 that represented the broad issues you wanted answers to.
We asked every candidate we had contact details for to respond.
We’ll be publishing them in the run-up to the General Election with the responses from the candidates who replied from each constituency.
These are the answers are from candidates standing in the Carlisle constituency.
Your questions:
Should Cumbria host a GDF?
Julie Minns, Labour
This is a decision for the host community. Currently neither of the areas being considered in Cumbria are in the Carlisle constituency and I don’t believe it is appropriate for me to tell residents in the search areas whether they should or should not host the GDF.
Nuclear will continue to be an important part of our energy mix and I strongly support Cumbria being home to both the construction and siting of new nuclear power.
Gavin Hawkton, Green Party
No. Cumbria should not be the dumping ground for the rest of the country’s waste. Why not London or Oxfordshire instead?
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
Probably. There is much waste that is sitting on the surface at Sellafield. It is safe there, and well looked after, but who knows what might happen one day – now or in hundred years time. The only safe place is underground.
The Liberal Democrats believe that any decision to host a Geological Disposal Facility should be based on scientific evidence, environmental considerations, and the consent of the local community. We will ensure that thorough consultations are conducted and that the views of Cumbrian residents are taken into account before any decisions are made.
The two big questions that must be answered are:
- Where should it be?
- Should extra expense and time be spent making the deposits retrievable in case they are needed in the future for energy production
What are your views on plans for an offshore coal mine for Whitehaven? What is your party’s stance? What are the next steps?
Julie Minns, Labour
Labour has been clear for some time that we expected the coal mine plan to run into legal problems and developments this week with the Surrey Council court case would seem to confirm that view.
My focus is on the potential for new quality jobs such as the opportunity to bring a small modular reactor (SMR) factory to Carlisle.
Gareth Hawkton, Green Party
The only thing that can be mined in Whitehaven is content for right-wing political campaigns. The coal has a high sulphur content which means it won’t contribute to steel-making and burning it would be damaging to our health. There is no domestic market. There is no reason for this mine.
Candidates should be honest about this. The next steps should be a transition towards cheap clean energy through renewables that will create highly skilled, long-term jobs with Cumbria well placed to take advantage.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
I and all Liberal Democrat candidates in Cumbria are opposed to the development the offshore coal mine for Whitehaven.
The jobs created above ground will all pay less than £25,000 a year, which is £2,972 less than the median wage for Cumbria. The high paid coalface jobs (about £48,000 a year) will go to experienced underwater coal miners of which there are zero in West Cumbria. Workers from Turkey will probably be given visas to work there, and under current Conservative and Reform proposals they would not be allowed to bring their families. So they will probably not settle, but take the money back to their homeland and build their family life there. I would, wouldn’t you?
Undersea coal mines are dangerous. Whitehaven coal mines have a history of explosive disasters. 301 miners were killed in Turkey in 2014, and regulations were tightened to world-class standards. That did not prevent another disaster on October 14, 2022, at a mine in Bartin province under the Black Sea. That tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 41 miners. The explosion was caused by firedamp, a term for flammable gases which are also found in Whitehaven.
I believe that investing in renewable energy and green technologies is the way forward. Our next steps would include promoting alternative economic opportunities for the area that do not rely on fossil fuels, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for the community.
Young apprentices do not want to work on ‘sunset’ careers. Their job prospects will disappear just as they turn 30 and the world decarbonises. The ones I have spoken to want to work in wind or solar power industries or in the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) factory that I hope will be created in Kingstown Industrial Park in North Carlisle.
What is the future for Moorside in West Cumbria? Will Cumbria ever get a new nuclear reactor of any sort?
Julie Minns, Labour
When Keir Starmer has been in Cumbria he has always emphasised how Labour would support new nuclear projects.
We share people’s frustrations that the Government has dragged its feet on this and failed to make any assessment on the proposal to build SMRs at Moorside.
Our approach would mean that in its first year the Labour Government will establish Great British Energy, which will prepare a portfolio of projects and take the first steps to deliver a cheaper, zero-carbon electricity system by 2030.
Gareth Hawkton, Green Party
Nuclear power diverts investment from renewables and poses unacceptable risks. With investment in interconnectors and grid level storage, we can decarbonise the energy system by 2030.
Nuclear power also generates unmanageable quantities of radioactive waste, creating a nightmare for future generation to deal with.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats support the development of low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear power, as part of a balanced energy mix.
I fully support the proposed Small Modular Reactor (SMR) factory that I hope will be created in Kingstown Industrial Park in North Carlisle.
I look forward to SMRs being set up in Moorside, West Cumbria, but this will depend on detailed assessments of viability, environmental impact, and community support. I will ensure that any decisions regarding new nuclear reactors are made transparently and with full public consultation.
