The UK Government has published its response to the recommendations made by the taskforce, led by John Fingleton, former CEO of the Office of Fair Trading, setup to consider reform of the civil and defence nuclear framework and regulations. The 162-page final report was published in November 2025. Regulators said “urgent change is needed if we are to capitalise on the opportunities nuclear technology can provide”.
According to a statement by HM Treasury: “The government is taking forward all of the taskforce’s recommendations and is publishing an implementation plan. This includes immediately putting in place one lead regulator for nuclear projects, with all reforms expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The plan is expected to reduce the cost and timeframe of delivering new civil and defence nuclear projects, without compromising safety standards and environmental protections.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has written an open letter to industry and regulatory leaders setting out the need for substantial change at all levels within the sector. She said implementing the nuclear regulatory taskforce review “will require substantial change from government, from regulators and from industry at all levels of the supply chain”, adding: “We will implement the measures we have outlined by December 2027.”
The letter noted: “The government will work with regulators and industry to ensure that we all take time and cost efficiency as seriously as if they were in a competitive market. 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. 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.”
The accountability for progress rests not just with government, but with the leadership of each organisation across the civil and defence nuclear sectors, including the supply chain. The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce Review makes clear that an essential route to better outcomes is a more joined-up and collaborative set of work across organisational boundaries. Across and between the public and private sectors engagement and dialogue on regulatory decisions – including both those taken by regulators and within private sector organisations, should be default. We should move immediately towards more transparent information and advice sharing, with an emphasis on a culture of constructive problem-solving. This should include coordinating actions, and sharing lessons and best practice to ensure that this new culture is embedded across the industry.
Reeves asked regulators and Industry “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” and to respond within six months.
As well as implementing the task force recommendations, “We are merging the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator with the ONR [Office of Nuclear Regulation], with appropriate national security safeguards, and we will be legislating to give the ONR an explicit secondary mandate to support delivery of growth, energy, and national security objectives through the nuclear sector.” She added: “Across the regulatory system for which the Government is responsible we will take further steps where needed to ensure the level and speed of change we are seeking.”
A joint statement from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said: “Nuclear projects will be built faster and cheaper, boosting national and energy security and protecting households from volatile global fossil fuel markets as part of a long-overdue overhaul of nuclear regulation.”
It added: “The core of the plan is 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.”
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.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said: In this new era for defence, our nuclear weapons deter the most extreme threats to national security, sending the ultimate warning to anyone who seeks to do us harm. I am proud of all those working in our nuclear sector who play such a vital part in keeping Britain secure, and proud of this government’s increased investment into defence nuclear.”
He noted that over 500 doctoral students will be trained at universities across the country over four annual intakes, quadrupling today’s intake of nuclear PhDs. Government is backing seven research programmes with £65.6m ($87.6m) new funding, delivered by UK Research and Innovation, “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 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.” Meanwhile the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) – the partnership of organisations that operate, renew, and maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent – is projected to support 65,000 highly skilled, well-paid jobs by 2030.
The funding for doctoral students is being provided by DESNZ and MOD as part of the Nuclear Skills Plan, which brings together government, industry, and education providers to deliver the skilled workforce and 24,000 additional jobs required in the nuclear sector by 2030. The doctoral funding awards will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation.
Mike Finnerty, ONR Chief Nuclear Inspector and CEO welcomed the government’s plan to implement the taskforce recommendations. “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,” he said. “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.”
ONR said 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.
While industry leaders commented positively on the development, others were not so welcoming. Alison Downes, of the campaign group Stop Sizewell C, said: “We believe these sweeping changes mean bad news for communities, wildlife and safety. Coupled with new siting policies and changes to planning rules, local people facing the prospect of new nuclear will find themselves marginalised as never before. Precious habitats – which fully deserve so called ‘gold-plating’ – will be lost forever.”
Alexa Culver, lawyer at RSK Wilding, noted: “If the Fingleton recommendations are being brought forward in full, they represent another irresponsible rollback for nature laws following the blow dealt by the Planning and Infrastructure Act last year.” She added: “No ecologists or environmental specialists were invited to shape these proposals into anything that resembles a ‘win’ for nature.”
