Work to begin on Hinkley Point reactor within weeks after China deal signed

Xi Jinping hails 18bn nuclear project as 'flagship project of cooperation' in new era for China and Britain in joint press conference with David Cameron

Work on the first new nuclear power plant in the UK for 20 years is set to begin within weeks after the French energy company EDF and China's main nuclear operator agreed a deal on building the 18bn project.

The agreement was hailed by David Cameron and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, at a joint press conference in London, with Xi describing the Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset as the "flagship project of cooperation" in a new era for China and Britain.