Liv Garfield, the boss of FTSE 100 water giant Severn Trent, is trying to bring a taskforce of utility bosses together with the Labour party in a bid to head off the threat of nationalisation.
In an email sent to other utility CEOs which she describes as “sensitive” and “highly confidential”, the £4 million a year Garfield asks them to join an “off-the-record roundtable” with Will Hutton, the Observer journalist best known for books critical of capitalism including The State We’re In.