ENERGY TRUMPS ENVIRONMENTALISM:

Labour decides Scotland must have nuclear future (PETER MACMAHON, 2/27/06, The Scotsman)

THE Scottish Labour Party yesterday agreed to support the building of nuclear power stations north of the Border.

In a surprise move on the final day of the party conference in Aviemore, delegates overwhelmingly approved a call for ageing nuclear plants to be replaced or renewed. Allan Wilson, the deputy enterprise minister and a member of the party's Scottish policy forum, confirmed that the views of the conference would be taken into account when Labour draws up its manifesto for the 2007 elections.

The decision is set to increase tensions between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who are opposed to new nuclear power stations. However, the vote does strengthen the hand of Jack McConnell, the First Minister, who appears to have been preparing the way for the Executive to back a new generation of nuclear power stations in Scotland.