DESPITE the inevitable fury of environmental groups, the row over Britain agreeing with America to take nuclear fuel from the former Soviet republic of Georgia might be far less considerable if there had been no cover-up.

The reason for this waiving of British policy against taking foreign nuclear material is, we are told, to stop the deadly material falling into the wrong hands in what is already an unstable part of the world.

There can be no quarrel with that purpose - only with the secrecy.

The government has been forced to admit the deal after it was leaked in an American newspaper.

But for all the fine words we have had from New Labour about openness, it is looking no different from any previous administration when it comes to governmental obsession with secrecy.

It will, however, find that it loses much of the voters' trust and respect when they find out what is going on in this country from foreign newspapers.

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