CANDIDATES in the upcoming May Assembly election debated everything from changing parties to renewable energy in a hustings at Newport Centre.

Labour's Newport East candidate John Griffiths told the audience that loopholes that allow members to cross the floor should be closed, while candidates also spoke out against nuclear power.

As well as Mr Griffiths, Plaid Cymru Newport East candidate Chris Paul and South Wales East regional candidates Pippa Bartolotti for the Greens and Alyson O'Connell for the Socialist Labour Party took part in the debate organised by Newport Against the Cuts and Friends of the Earth.

No Conservative or Liberal Democrat candidate took part.

One member of the public quizzed members on whether loopholes that allow AMs, such as former South Wales East AM and Tory regional candidate Mohammad Asghar, to leave one party and join another without re-election should be closed.

Mr Griffiths said: “I think most people get elected under a party banner and people vote for them on that basis. I think its something that should be looked at.”

Mr Paul said Mr Ashgar's former party, Plaid, should have made more of an issue of it at that time, while Ms O'Connell said: “I believe if you have principles you should stick to them.”

Ms Bartolotti described crossing the floor as immoral and added: "You use one party’s money to get elected and then you join another."

Members were also asked on their views on nuclear power, following the disaster in Japan.

Ms Bartolotti said the side effect of nuclear power is so toxic that it has to be buried in the ground for hundreds of years: "Tidal lagoons would produce six per cent of our electricity - what are we waiting for?"

Mr Paul said called for more investment in renewables, while Mr Griffiths said a "huge amount can be done without nuclear".

Ms O'Connell, in contrast to the other candidates, called for a return to coal: "It's not that dangerous to go down a coal mine when you are talking about nuclear power."