Campaigners say the government was "forced to ram through" plans for Sizewell C despite the advice of planners and vowed to fight on against the project.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced development consent was granted for the multibillion-pound Suffolk project earlier today.

It is intended that Sizewell C will generate enough low-carbon electricity to supply six million homes.

But campaigners say the government overrode planners' advice in giving the project the go-ahead.

A spokeswoman for local campaign group Stop Sizewell C said: “The government has been forced to ram through a damaging project to shore up its energy strategy but the fact that the Planning Inspectorate recommended Sizewell C be refused consent is a huge victory for all of us.

"The wrong decision has been made but it’s not the end of our campaign to Stop Sizewell C.

"Not only will we be looking closely at appealing this decision, we'll continue to challenge every aspect of Sizewell C, because – whether it is the impact on consumers, the massive costs and delays, the outstanding technical questions or the environmental impacts – it remains a bad project and a very bad risk.

"What’s left of Boris Johnson’s administration should desist from throwing any more cash at Sizewell C or making a government investment decision. It’s deeply concerning, given that households will have to pay for this massively expensive project in times of such hardship, that no one in government is prepared to come clean about how much it will cost to build.

"How can it be a good use of UK taxpayers funds to support a project promoted by a foreign company having to undergo emergency nationalisation because its own finances are compromised by disastrous nuclear new builds?

“The political events of recent weeks prove just how quickly things can change, so we are ready to take this seriously flawed project on.”

The Planning Inspectorate recommended that the plans for the new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast be refused "unless the outstanding water supply strategy can be resolved and sufficient information provided to enable the Secretary of State carry out his obligations under the Habitats Regulations" in a report dating from February this year.

Following this, the Secretary of State requested more information from EDF on how the site would be supplied with water, delaying the decision by six weeks.

In a letter granting permission for the project, officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) wrote: "The Secretary of State has considered the supply of water during the construction period.

"He is satisfied with the Applicant’s assurance that potable water will be supplied via a combination of tankers and a temporary desalination plant.

"The Secretary of State therefore disagrees with the [Planning Inspectorate's] conclusions on this matter and considers that the uncertainty over the permanent water supply strategy is not a barrier to granting consent to the Proposed Development."

A BEIS spokesman said: “The Secretary of State has decided to grant consent for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station after thorough consideration of all relevant information.”

“The ongoing commercial negotiations are strictly separate from the decision on the application for development consent.”