British prime minister commits funding to Sizewell C nuclear plant

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised £700 million of funding for the Sizewell C nuclear powerproject as part of a drive to improve the UK's energy security.
The Prime Minister said the spike in gas prices driven by Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine showed why new nuclear generation capacity was needed in the UK.
The new reactor at the Sizewell site in Suffolk is expected to be built in partnership with energy firm EDF and could power the equivalent of about six million homes.
"We need to pull our national finger out and get on with Sizewell C," Johnson said in his final major policy speech as prime minister.
"That's why we're putting £700 million into the deal, just part of the £1.7 billion of Government funding available for developing a large-scale nuclear project to final investment stage in this Parliament.
"In the course of the next few weeks I am absolutely confident that it will get over the line."
The Sizewell C project in Suffolk aims to generate enough low-carbon electricity to supply 6 million homes and create thousands of jobs.