http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3333864.eceSecret nuclear talks held at No 10
Ministers kept no record – and tried to hide details – of Brown adviser's meetings with energy chiefs Brown's special adviser met energy chiefs off the record, before new power plants were announced
Published: 13 January 2008
By Andy Rowell and Richard Cookson
The Government held at least nine secret meetings at Downing Street with the bosses of nuclear energy companies while it formulated controversial plans for a new generation of the power plants, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
No official records were kept of the discussions with the companies, which stand to profit from Gordon Brown's announcement last Thursday that he was approving a new generation of nuclear power plants.
The Government initially tried to block details of the meetings requested under the Freedom of Information Act. However, last week it revealed that Geoffrey Norris, Gordon Brown's energy adviser, met bosses from EDF, British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), E.ON and British Energy at a crucial phase in the Government's deliberations.
Confirmation that there are no official records of the meetings adds to concern that certain advisers can operate outside the rules of government accountability.
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