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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
John Collingridge, Anna Isaac and Jasper Jolly

Thames Water paid £1m-plus to corporate spooks firm part-owned by Starmer adviser

Varun Chandra (centre), Thames Water chair Sir Adrian Montague (left), and Thames Water CEO Cathryn Ross (right)
Varun Chandra (centre), Thames Water chair Sir Adrian Montague (left), and Thames Water CEO Cathryn Ross (right) Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images/Reuters/ParliamentTV/PA

A corporate intelligence company part-owned and formerly run by the prime minister’s business adviser has been paid more than £1m by Thames Water as the utilities firm tries to avoid renationalisation, the Guardian can reveal.

Hakluyt, which was run by Varun Chandra until his appointment as Keir Starmer’s business adviser last July, has worked with Thames since 2023, providing political and strategic advice.

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