LONDON: Britain's biggest water supplier staving off renationalisation, trains derailed by strikes and consumers suffering huge energy bills — the nation's vital sectors are mired in chaos decades after their controversial privatisation.
Sold off in the 1980s and 90s under Conservative prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, state-run utilities and British Rail were split into several companies, unleashing fresh investment but also huge executive bonuses, shareholder dividends and massive debts.
