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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jasper Jolly, Jillian Ambrose and Kiran Stacey

‘More public control’: what will Burnham do about water and energy?

Andy Burnham Thames Dieter Helm Feargal Sharkey Sir Keir Starmer Thames Water Chris Hayes Common Wealth SAR Tara Singh
Thames Water/utilities illustration that includes a van, a worker and a flood sign, with an electricity pylon in the background
Thames Water has been left in limbo as everyone tries to work out who will try to fix it. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty

When the former Undertones frontman turned campaigner Feargal Sharkey backed Keir Starmer for prime minister in 2024, he hoped that the Labour leader would be the man to clean up Britain’s polluted rivers and bring the water industry into public ownership – starting with troubled Thames Water.

Two years later, Sharkey has been disappointed. Now he is hoping that Andy Burnham will begin the job when he is confirmed as prime minister.

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