Guardian Live: should we say yes to nuclear power?

George Osborne has backed a deal with China to build a new 24bn nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. At a Guardian Live event in Manchester we asked, should the UK back nuclear power?

Last month George Osborne backed a deal with China to build a 24bn nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The government claims the new plant will be relied on to deliver 7% of the UK's electricity while providing a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. But not everyone agrees, with critics arguing that the plants will be expensive to build and questioning whether nuclear energy represents a safe, clean and cost-effective energy future.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester played host to a public debate as part of the Manchester Science Festival in which four expert panellists debated the motion: Nuclear power, yes please. These were some of their thoughts: