FORMER Kingston MP Ed Davey has accused the Conservative Party of trying to shift blame onto him after plans to build an £18bn nuclear power plant he negotiated were widely criticised.

Mr Davey was at the forefront of talks between the former coalition government and French utility company EDF to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset while Energy Secretary in 2013.

But reports emerged this week that EDF was in turmoil over how it would fund the project, with the company’s finance director quitting his post on Monday.

A leading energy consultant told The Times this week that the deal negotiated between the government and EDF was “the worst deal I have ever seen”.

Mr Davey said: “The Times are having a go, it’s a Conservative attempt to try and lay the blame on me and of course it was a coalition decision.

“They were desperate for nuclear energy, they were gagging for it. I don’t know what they are trying to say. I think it was a good deal.”

EDF expected to finalise in April how it would fund the project after a number of postponements, with the current Conservative government insisting the project will still go ahead.

The power station would be the most expensive in the world and generate six per cent of Britain’s energy.

Former Liberal Democrat MP Mr Davey, who lost his seat in 2015 after 18 years, landed a job as a senior advisor for MHP, a lobbying firm that counts EDF as one of its clients.

Mr Davey acknowledged that he does not know when the nuclear plant will open, but insisted that investment in nuclear energy will prove beneficial in the long run.

He added: “The truth is no-one will know whether or not it’s a good deal for 30 years or more."