Launching the Sovereign Albion podcast: How to Regulate British Nuclear, with John Fingleton & Mustafa Latif-Aramesh

Dec 10, 2025

Guest

Mustafa Latif-Aramesh

Guest

John Fingleton

In a compelling conversation, John Fingleton, a leading economist and former CEO of the Competition and Markets Authority, and Mustafa Latif-Aramesh, an infrastructure planning lawyer, unpack the challenges surrounding Britain's nuclear industry. They explore historical shifts that halted new nuclear builds and emphasize nuclear's vital role alongside renewables for low-carbon energy. The duo discusses cost drivers, regulatory hurdles, and innovative solutions like small modular reactors, advocating for frameworks that foster timely and cost-effective project delivery.

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INSIGHT

Why UK Nuclear Costs So Much

The UK is several times more expensive and slower to build nuclear than countries like South Korea due to systemic factors.
Key drivers are risk aversion, weak incentives, and a preference for process over outcomes.

INSIGHT

Fleet Approach Lowers Unit Costs

Fleet builds and political consistency drastically reduce unit costs and time.
Stop-start policy and bespoke treatment of each project inflate UK costs.

ADVICE

Set Clear Risk Limits And A Commission

Define the tolerability of risk so regulators apply proportionate standards.
Create a single Nuclear Regulatory Commission to escalate decisions and drive timely delivery.

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Sovereign Albion is a new platform, exploring who we are, where we're going, and how we get there, told through the lens of the builders – of companies, state capacity, and the nation – making it real.

This launch episode is with John Fingleton and Mustafa Latif-Aramesh, who were part of the UK’s brilliant recent Taskforce on Nuclear Regulation.

When it launched, the report quickly became a rallying point for the many people who refuse to accept that Britain is at some terminal value, both economically and culturally. Nuclear could play an enormous role in enabling safe, clean, abundant energy — solving the energy trilemma of cost, climate and capacity! — but we have made it slow and expensive to build. Britain was the first country in the world to have civil nuclear energy, but today we haven’t built a new nuclear power station for 30 years. I wanted to understand how we got here, and what needs to come next.

Thank you to the Centre for British Progress for supporting this experiment, to Julia Garayo-Willemyns, David Lawrence and Alys Key for their editorial support, and to Ben Mills and The Subthread for production support. Intro news footage source, ©Sellafield Limited.

* John Fingleton is a leading economist and regulator. He was the CEO of the predecessor to the Competition and Markets Authority and was on the board of UK Research and Innovation, and now runs Fingleton.

* Mustafa Latif-Aramesh is a leading infrastructure planning lawyer at TLT LLP and Parliamentary Agent who works across nuclear and other nationally significant planning and infrastructure projects.

00:00 The History of British Nuclear

01:00 Challenges in British Nuclear Development

04:02 Comparing Nuclear Costs: UK vs. South Korea

07:41 The Role of the State in Nuclear Projects

12:05 Future Technologies and Recommendations

16:18 Regulatory and Financial Incentives

28:20 Inside the Taskforce

32:56 Taskforce Member Roles and Expertise

34:53 Formation and Delays of the Taskforce

35:46 Reflections and Future Improvements

39:23 Is The Deep State Real?

45:11 Regulatory Bottlenecks and Political Economy

53:55 Compensation and Community Benefits

57:02 Cultural Perspectives on Nuclear Energy

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sovereignalbion.com