'Kingmaker' Clegg confirms his party's line on barrage

LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg would pursue plans to harness energy from the Severn Estuary if there is a hung parliament after May 6.

But the man being touted as kingmaker will only support the scaled-down "shoots barrage" not the larger Severn barrage that would generate five per cent of the country's electricity.

Out on the campaign trail he pledged the Lib Dems would set out a £3 billion green jobs plan to "serve the interests of the 100,000 square miles of the UK" rather than the City of London.

But they would not stretch to new nuclear jobs at plants set to be rebuilt, such as at Oldbury-on-Severn, which he claims would simply shovel taxpayers' money "down the gullets" of the industry.

The party passed its policy on the barrage at its annual conference last year after proposals were unveiled by Thornbury and Yate candidate Steve Webb.

But its stance could now prove key to the future of the project after the party enjoyed a surge in the polls following the first live televised leaders' debate last week and could now prove key in the event of a hung parliament.

Mr Clegg said: "The Severn Barrage is something that should be pursued, though only with the important caveats that we have reported on recently.

"As a party we have long held the view, and still do, that investing billions and billions of pounds of tax payers' money directly or indirectly in the nuclear industry at a time when money is tight, is unjustified."

The party plans to invest in wind energy, energy efficiency in public buildings and homes, and in bringing empty homes back into use through renovation.

There would also be a "90-day guarantee" for young people, who would be offered a place of training, work or apprenticeship after 90 days unemployed, so they were not "left in despair".