Cumbrian Conservative MP John Stevenson has hit out at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's stance on plans for a new nuclear power plant in the county.

Mr Corbyn failed to back plans for Moorside when pressed by the BBC over the weekend.

On today's Andrew Marr Show Mr Corbyn said there should be a variety of energy options.

When asked if he would be happy for Moorside to go ahead, Mr Corbyn said: "I want an energy mix in this country, we have to first of all make sure there is sufficient energy supplies and there has to be an energy platform."

Responding, Carlisle's Conservative MP John Stevenson said: "Once again Jeremy Corbyn refuses to back a new nuclear power plant at Moorside – a project which could create 21,000 new jobs in Cumbria.

"And he’s previously called for every nuclear power station to be decommissioned which would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk in the nuclear industry.

"Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is out of step with the concerns of ordinary, working people – they are too divided and divisive to build a country that works for everyone."

Nuclear - a key issue in Copeland - is set to be a hotly debated issue during the political race to win the area's parliamentary seat following the recent resignation of MP Jamie Reed.

The NHS is another subject that will be scrutinised.

Mr Corbyn told the BBC on Friday that he will be "all over Cumbria" during the hotly-contested Copeland by-election as his party looks to retain the seat.

It is estimated that up to 21,000 jobs could be created by Moorside.

During operation the reactors will sustain more than 1,000 permanent jobs, with many more created through local and regional supply chains.

Sellafield is the largest employer in Copeland, employing over 10,000 people. It is also the largest nuclear complex in Europe.

Away from Copeland, the resignation of the former shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has triggered a by-election in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Speculation is mounting that Ukip leader Paul Nuttall, a North West MEP, will stand there.