- Speaking in the House of Commons for the first time as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham warned that reversing the 1989 privatisation of water companies would be very difficult for his administration.
- Burnham pledged to introduce stronger public control over essential services in an upcoming 10-year plan for Britain, highlighting that sewage spills and insufficient reservoir capacity have damaged tourism and disrupted water supplies.
- The Prime Minister's remarks follow the UK's hottest summer on record, which has triggered widespread drought, hosepipe bans affecting 30 million people, and pollution warnings across multiple coastal areas.
- Burnham sharply criticised the privatisation model, stating that historical profits were siphoned out through salaries and dividends while infrastructure deteriorated, leaving billpayers facing price hikes of over 20 per cent to fix the system.
- While acknowledging the Independent Water Commission's report chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, Burnham insisted that ministers are assessing all possible solutions, as existing regulatory recommendations may not fully resolve the industry's issues.
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