The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February 2025. Led by John Fingleton, former CEO of the Office of Fair Trading, the taskforce’s objective was to speed up the approval of new reactor designs and streamline how developers engage with regulators. , published in November, the taskforce said a “radical reset” was needed and outlined 47 recommendations for the government to speed up building new nuclear projects at a lower cost and on time.
“The government is implementing the review’s recommendations, with all reforms expected to be completed by the end of 2027,” the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. “These reforms could help speed up other types of infrastructure, such as looking at whether reforms to judicial reviews could apply to other major planning regimes.”
The government said it plans “a move towards smarter regulation: proportionate, focused on real risk, rooted in evidence, and designed to effectively protect nature and biodiversity. This plan will support safe, cost-effective, and rapid delivery across the entire civil and defence nuclear enterprise. The plan is expected to reduce the cost and timeframe of delivering new civil and defence nuclear projects, without compromising safety and environmental protections.” The plan includes immediately putting in place one lead regulator for nuclear projects.
To further unlock innovation in the UK’s nuclear industry, more than 500 doctoral students will be trained at universities across the country over four annual intakes, quadrupling the current intake of nuclear PhDs. The government is backing seven research programmes with GBP65.6 million (USD87.1 million) new funding, delivered by UK Research and Innovation, at various universities including Bangor University in North Wales, Glasgow University in Scotland and Imperial College in London, “investing in the next generation of scientists and engineers to support the clean energy mission and the nuclear deterrent”. The funding, which will be matched by industry partners, will support cutting-edge research such as on advanced nuclear reactor components, nuclear waste disposal, innovative nuclear fuels and materials, and research of critical importance to national security and keeping the UK safe.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said. “As the current Middle East conflict shows, we need to go further and faster to build the clean energy we need to get off volatile fossil fuel markets and deliver energy security for our country. A crucial part of this is ensuring that we speed up the building of infrastructure in a way that reduces costs as well as delivering better outcomes for nature.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, added: “To build national resilience, drive energy security and deliver economic growth, we need nuclear. That’s why we’re overhauling the system, getting rid of duplicative or overly complex guidance, rules and regulations that have been holding back our nuclear ambitions.”
Reeves has written , setting out the need for substantial change at all levels within the sector. The Chancellor has asked industry and regulators to assess the way their organisation approaches risk management and to challenge themselves on whether those responsible for risk management are properly equipped and empowered to make proportionate judgements on acceptable risk. Recipients are asked to respond to the letter within six months setting out their plans to implement the required changes.
“We must all put serious effort into stripping away duplicative or gold-plated processes, overly complex guidance, rules, and regulations, both in our own organisations and in supply chains,” the letter says. “We should focus resources on the most safety-critical issues. We should evolve from a culture that resists new technology and practice to one that actively enables their safe implementation.”
It continues: “Timeliness and predictability of decision-making are essential to successful delivery. Alongside the commitments the government has made to implement the recommendations of the review, I am asking you to rigorously review your internal processes, incentives and performance management approach to identify where complexity, delay, or uncertainty can be reduced, and to ensure that responsibility for decision-making is understood and supported by clear timelines and effective oversight.”
Support for regulatory reform
Mike Finnerty, Chief Nuclear Inspector and CEO of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), said: “We welcome the government’s acceptance of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce’s recommendations and its plan to implement them. As an enabling regulator, we look forward to working in close partnership with the government, industry and all stakeholders to drive forward the cultural and practical changes needed to safely deliver nuclear projects more efficiently and effectively in support of the country’s clean energy goals. We embrace this new era with ambition and purpose while maintaining our cornerstone principles of upholding the safety and security of workers and the public, which is at the heart of everything we do.”
The ONR sad it has been working closely with the government and other regulators since November to take significant steps in establishing the lead regulator model, with ONR designated as the default interim lead for the nuclear sector. “This is the first step towards establishing the new Commission for Nuclear Regulation,” it said.
Simon Roddy, CEO of Great British Energy – Nuclear, said: “A more streamlined and predictable regulatory system is essential to delivering new nuclear at pace, and we are ready to support the government in turning these reforms into real-world delivery, including accelerating progress at GBE-N’s Wylfa site on Anglesey – home of the UK’s first SMR project.”
David Peattie, CEO of Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Group, added: “We welcome the clear direction provided by the government’s response to the report, which sets out a vision for a regulatory environment which applies a proportionate, risk-based approach to managing hazards, and can support timely, cost-effective decommissioning while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security. We also wholeheartedly support the investment in nuclear PhDs. It’s vital we maintain critical skills across the sector and explore emerging technologies and innovations which are transformative for decommissioning.”
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “This ambitious programme of nuclear regulatory reform is the most important thing we can do to cut deployment times and costs, and rebuild the backbone of our energy security. We need more proportionate regulation that recognises the vital contribution nuclear makes to the nation’s core interests, and driving through these recommendations offers our best chance in a generation of achieving that. We look forward to working with the government throughout the implementation process.”
