BNP leader refused visit to Sellafield
Nick Griffin refused permission to visit Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant
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Wednesday, 04, Nov 2009 11:34
By Richard James.
The leader of the British National party Nick Griffin has been refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria.
The plant reportedly feared the fact-finding tour by the north-west MEP would lead to safety problems due to the likelihood of protests at his visit.
The trip was meant to be part of Mr Griffin's preparations ahead of next month's international climate change summit in Copenhagen.
The BNP leader had apparently wanted to tour the Sellafield site to discuss nuclear power as well as discuss the impact it has on his constituents.
The decision to refuse his entry due to the chances it could cause an "unnecessary distraction", has been criticised by Mr Griffin's party.
BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: "It is outrageous that a democratically elected member of parliament cannot see something in his own constituency and directly in relation to his position.
"This is a politically correct decision which is going to set a precedent. In 2003 Sellafield let in a delegation from Sinn Fein. If they can let them in why not us? They are undermining the democratic process.
"We wanted to have a look at what Sellafield does and the impact it has on the local economy and local environment.
"A lot of people in Cumbria are upset about wind farms going up, and Nick, as a wind farm sceptic, wanted to look at the concept on a local basis."
A Sellafield spokesman said representatives of the plant had agreed to meet Mr Griffin offsite but confirmed the decision not to grant him permission to tour the site.
"Safety is our number one value at Sellafield and we were concerned that an on-site visit by Mr Griffin and his team could cause an unnecessary distraction, with the potential for this to have a detrimental effect on safety," he said.