Calls for inquiry into appointments of Ofwat chairs past and present

Iain Coucher and Jonson Cox declared all their interests when they were appointed chairs of Ofwat by the government. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

The appointments of the current and previous chairs of the water regulator Ofwat should be investigated, campaigners have said, as the Liberal Democrats called for the watchdog to be abolished.

Jonson Cox, a former chair of the regulator, had multimillion-pound links with the privatised water industry before taking up the role. The current chair, Iain Coucher, remains a senior adviser to a global private equity firm that has interests in the water industry in the US.