One of the biggest fallouts from Brexit is the future of EURATOM, the European Atomic Energy Community, which manages the procurement and movement of all nuclear materials and waste across the EU, and JET (Joint European Torus), which is a nuclear fusion facility based in Culham, Oxfordshire.

EURATOM predates the formation of the EU but they are now legally entangled. The main sticking point for the Tories is their insistence on leaving the European Court of Justice which oversees the agreement. The hard Brexiteers’ obsession with the ECJ meant that while exiting the EU did not have to include leaving EURATOM, the Brexit White Paper made it clear that this is definitely going to happen if the Tories are in power.

This an important issue in Oxford west and Abingdon locally as the prospect of closing the £60m a year JET facility would lead to a direct loss of 1000 jobs in the area. But it goes well beyond that. JET itself it vitally important the UK as a whole. It is not only the centre for research into fusion technology which one day may be a massive contributor to the fight against climate change, but also includes cutting edge research that has led to breakthroughs in engineering and material science. Estimates suggest we make three times the UK’s investment back on the project thanks to spin offs and locally grown expertise.

There is also a human factor here. Scientists from 35 nations, a large proportion from the EU, are already leaving, or thinking of it, due to the uncertainty about their future here. Britain cannot afford to let more go. I have been told it is becoming very difficult to recruit. We must guarantee their rights now to plug this brain drain and maintain the UK’s position as a centre for scientific excellence. We need to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to work in the UK now.

The other thing that we risk are “Brown Outs” – the reduction or restriction of electrical power in a particular area. Our nuclear industry is governed by EURATOM. From the procurement to the movement and waste disposal of nuclear materials. Once out of Agreement, it will be extremely difficult to safeguard the 20% of electricity supply that comes from nuclear. To compensate it is likely we would either need to buy energy from abroad at inflated prices or the Government will use this as an excuse to move to polluting sources of energy like fracking. This is hardly a ‘strong and stable’ outcome!

So, what are the options? We could negotiate “third country” status like the USA with a special cooperation agreement. This will enable us to participate in some programs, but might still not save JET. Though EURATOM can technically fund JET they are unlikely to do so with the U.K. No longer an EU member state. Britain could fund it alone, but then we would struggle to achieve the same level of international cooperation.

The other option would be for Britain to become an “Associate Country” like Switzerland. This is generally accepted to be the next best alternative. But time is running out. Britain has funding for JET until late 2018 and negotiations are still ongoing to extend it to 2020. If we leave, an extension will most likely be off the agenda and negotiating Associate Country status takes at least 21 months.

Furthermore, if there is any disagreement over the terms the only plausible adjudicator remains the ECJ. So will the Tories agree to this? I argue, for the sake of the country, that they have to.

The government and local conservative MP’s know all this. My opponent in OxWAB was until recently chair of the science select committee after all, and must be fully aware of these dangers. But they are putting their own Party’s interests above above those of the country and U.K. Science. We need to guarantee our role in  EURATOM and JET, and do it now.

* Layla Moran is the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon