David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, signalled a key change of approach towards nuclear power yesterday by saying that it should be able to compete on a level playing field with other forms of energy.

Previously, the Tories had said that they viewed nuclear as a last resort, but Mr Cameron’s more favourable stance came as he also emphasised the need for a push on green energy.

He told the CBI conference that Labour had been guilty of doing nothing to decentralise energy generation or to make it easier to open new power stations by changing planning regulations.

Mr Cameron said: “We will remove those restrictions and enable nuclear power to make its case on a level playing field. But a level playing field means exactly that: no taxpayer subsidies for nuclear power; no compromise on our commitment to fiscal responsibility and economic stability.”

He said that the Conservatives would soon set out their plans for a big boost in green energy and he attacked Labour for a “shameful and short-sighted ten-year neglect of green energy” that has left Britain lagging other countries.

Richard Lambert, Director-General of the CBI, said: “David Cameron was more open to the idea of a nuclear rebuild than some of the messages that have been coming from the Tories. It was a significant move.”

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, later reinforced the Government’s preference for new nuclear, pending its latest consultation, which has now finished. He told the conference: “If it is to be part of the mix, it can’t be the last resort because of the time it takes to build power stations — by the time you have decided you need them, it would be too late.”

The political debate over nuclear’s future comes as it emerged that British Energy, which operates eight power stations, has halved the time required to complete some of its basic training programmes amid an acute shortage of experienced nuclear staff.

Documents seen by The Times reveal that some of the group’s programmes to train staff to “suitably qualified and experienced personnel” level (SQEP) — a benchmark industry training standard set by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate — have been trimmed from 18 to 9 months.

British Energy, which generates one sixth of Britain’s electricity, denied that this meant any lowering of standards. A spokesman said that the new training system was “more effective, as well as quicker”.

Mr Cameron told the CBI that a Tory administration would reduce the tax and regulation burden on business and cut the scale of government. He said: “As prime minister I want the businesses you run to grow more quickly than the organisation I will run.”

The Conservative leader called for an urgent review of banking regulation in the wake of the Northern Rock crisis, saying that the tripartite arrangements “are clearly not working properly”. He also repeated the Conservatives’ pledge to put in place a “triple lock on stability” by enhancing the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee’s independence, establishing independent monitoring of fiscal rules and making national statistics independent.

Martin Broughton, president of the CBI, endorsed Mr Cameron by saying that the Conservatives were now a viable alternative government to Labour after years of proving a weak opposition.

It was Mr Cameron’s first appearance at the CBI since he became leader of the Conservatives nearly two years ago. Last year he angered business leaders by pulling out of the conference at the last minute to go to Iraq.

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