Ex-Hinkley boss called 'greedy toad' over bribes

A senior manager at a nuclear power plant has been described to a tribunal as a "greedy little toad" over claims he accepted bribes.

Ashley Daniels, who worked at Hinkley Point C in Somerset under the French energy company EDF, accepted an £11,000 quad bike from a subcontractor looking to secure more work, the employment tribunal in Bristol heard.

Mr Daniels, who the BBC understands no longer works for the company, was not the subject of the tribunal, which was brought by a former employee of the subcontractor.

The tribunal heard Mr Daniels also received gifts including £2,000 hospitality tickets for a boxing match and a refill for his Montblanc fountain pen.

The hearing, for a claim of unfair dismissal, was brought by engineer Garrick Nisbet against the subcontractor, Notus Heavy Lift Solutions.

Mr Nisbet was dismissed without notice in April 2023 in the belief he had gifted the quad bike to Mr Daniels – at the time the head of lifting and temporary works at Hinkley – to "ensure that work was directed" to Notus, the hearing was told.

Speaking about messages he had sent regarding the alleged bribes, Mr Nisbet told the tribunal Mr Daniels was "cheeky and a greedy little toad".

In other messages, the tribunal heard, he said the purchase of the quad bike would give Notus "a bit of breathing space", later saying Mr Daniels was "hard to say no to".

Hinkley Point B halted operations in August 2022 having come to the end of its life, with Hinkley Point C under construction since late 2018.

In evidence given by the then-managing director of Notus, the tribunal heard that Mr Daniels had "full authority to decide who came on site", adding that "without Ashley's approval, Notus would not have any personnel on site".

Mr Nisbet claimed that the "favours" he had offered Mr Daniels were limited to lunches, coffee and biscuits, and also argued that he had "nothing to do" with the boxing tickets.

He said the Montblanc refill was simply a spare he had bought, which Mr Daniels had asked for.

Employment judge Colm O'Rourke found that Mr Nisbet's use of the word "favours" was "disingenuous", adding that the items were "clearly" bribes.

Mr O'Rourke concluded that Mr Nisbet had been unfairly dismissed because Notus "clearly had not followed a proper procedure".

However, he said the "core allegation, in relation to the quad bike, which has been forensically examined in this hearing, still remains incapable of an innocent explanation".

Mr O'Rourke, said it was "clear from the evidence that [Mr Nisbet] was, on the balance of probabilities, complicit in bribery and corruption involving Mr Daniels".

He concluded that "a fair disciplinary procedure" would not have made any difference to the outcome – Mr Nisbet losing his job – and that he should therefore not be awarded compensation.

Mr Daniels is "under investigation" by EDF and Hinkley Point C, the tribunal heard.

A spokesperson for Hinkley Point C said: "The project sets and enforces high standards for all employees, contractors and suppliers and will rigorously investigate and take action over inappropriate conduct."

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