By Alan Irving

Published at 15:55, Wednesday, 04 November 2009

NICK Griffin, Euro MP and leader of the British National Party, may still get an invitation to tour Sellafield.

NICK GRIFFIN: BNP leader

He was initially banned from entering Sellafield “in the interests of safety and security”.

David Moore, Copeland council Tory group leader and chairman of the West Cumbria Stakeholders group, the site’s health and safety watchdog, said: “Nick Griffin probably has a legitimate right to visit Sellafield because of his parliamentary position but I think it was the size of the entourage he wanted to bring that was the problem. If it was just the case of an aide or two I am sure he would have been allowed in.”

Mr Griffin, one of Cumbria’s elected representatives in the European Parliament, said his visit to Sellafield was initially agreed only to be told later that he would be a threat to security both inside and outside the nuclear site.

One of his staff told The Whitehaven News: “Nick is absolutely gob-smacked. He supports the nuclear industry. How could he be a threat to security or safety?

“He could not be any more dangerous than Sinn Fein (political arm of the IRA) who have been allowed into Sellafield.”

Sellafield management confirmed that the proposed visit was denied “for security reasons”.

The Whitehaven News understands Sellafield executives had concerns over possible demonstrations.

Mr Griffin was keen to see Sellafield first hand in connection with his role on the Euro parliament’s environment and health committee and because Copeland is part of his parliamentary constituency.

The request came some time before the furore caused by his recent appearance on BBC TV’s Question Time.

The BNP say that its leader has been discriminated against.

Spokesman Simon Denby said: “Nick was supposed to go to Sellafield last Monday but it was called off. He was told he posed a threat to security inside and outside the site and later we heard there was a suggestion of disruption being caused.

“It is a pretty pathetic excuse especially when you consider that in 2003, some two years before the IRA gave up its arms cache, Sinn Fein were allowed in there.

“How could Nick Griffin be considered a security threat? To refuse his visit is very, very serious apart from being totally and utterly bizarre.

“He has had a good reception from Sellafield workers in the past and no doubt some of them will have voted for him as MEP. Nick supports nuclear and the contribution it can make to the environment in future. He is going to a conference on climate change in Copenhagen and for this to happen can only jeopardise his position when he is trying to get all the facts and visit Sellafield which is a world leader in nuclear technology.

“Plenty of other MEPs and MPs have had visits, so this is a hell of a road to go down, where do you draw the line?

“Nick can’t travel on his own, death threats have been made against him, so it’s reasonable that he should want to bring members of his own staff. He has his own security guy.”

Sellafield trades unions GMB and Prospect have backed the management’s decision. A joint statement says: “On the grounds of safety, security, corporate reputation, international investment and for the benefit and the security of West Cumbrian jobs, we welcome the decision of the Sellafield management team to refuse entry to the BNP and we expect this decision to remain in place for the future.

“The facts are that any association with the BNP would damage public support for the industry, jeopardise international investment in the Sellafield site and drive jobs out of West Cumbria.”

Management said: “We have offered to meet Mr Griffin and his team off site, to discuss the interest he has expressed in various aspects of the site’s operations.

“This is in accordance with our policy of being open and transparent with all stakeholders.

“Safety is our No 1 value at Sellafield and we were concerned that an on-site visit by Mr Griffin and his team could cause an unnecessary distraction with the potential for this to have a detrimental effect on safety.”

Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk