SOUTH LAKES MP Tim Farron has responded to an anti-nuclear campaign group which he believes has misconstrued his comments about essential workers in the county’s defence industry.

Mr Farron had led cross-party calls for non-essential construction sites to close during the Coronavirus lockdown period.

Dozens of MPs signed his letter to the Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, urging the government to ensure that sites allowed to remain open ‘should be restricted to construction firms involved in supporting health, emergency services, essential post Grenfell safety work and works essential to the public’.

However, Radiation Free Lakeland wrote to Mr Farron urging him to ‘drop the false and dangerous label of “essential construction” for Trident’ and for a Somerset nuclear power station.

An open letter from the Milnthorpe-based group read: "To continue with work on the next generation of Trident at Barrow and Hinkley Point C in Somerset is unconscionable.

"Both of these nuclear construction sites are inherently dangerous even without the inevitable risk of spreading the COVID19 virus from the thousands of workers – many of whom globetrot on a regular basis."

It also stated: "Reducing the numbers on these sites is just disingenuous – there are still thousands of workers...These are MEGA construction projects."

Mr Farron had responded, saying: Liberal Democrats do not believe that fundamental policy decisions should be taken at the height of a national emergency apart from measures to tackle the crisis itself. You are of course right to point to the need to review the Government’s most expensive commitments, once we discover the size and fiscal capacity of our economy after the pandemic

The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale said: “Our cross-party calls for non-essential construction sites to close are not on the basis of whether we agree with the construction in the first place but whether the construction work could be delayed until this crisis is over.

“Unfortunately, ongoing construction work is jeopardising the ability of people to follow the guidance in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus, ultimately risking the safety of the hundreds who work on the sites and anyone else they come into contact with.

“That is why the Government must mandate the closure of all non-essential construction sites immediately, furloughing all staff to ensure they receive at the very minimum 80% of their salaries going forward.

“The Government must end the uncertainty and they must do it now. To fail to act is to fail to protect construction workers and their families.”