Andy Burnham says "strengthened Water Bill to Parliament" would let government take over utilities

At the Labour Party conference, Andy Burnham said revised water legislation would be introduced by Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle. The proposed law would let the government take over struggling water utilities, undo limits on public ownership that he attributed to Margaret Thatcher, and set out a decade-long overhaul. It would also give mayors more authority to scrutinize water companies, impose tougher penalties for repeated failures, and close bonus loopholes. The plans have raised the possibility that heavily indebted Thames Water could be temporarily taken into public control as the government weighs a £10 billion lender-backed rescue bid; the company has warned it may run out of money by year-end. Ministers have not disclosed whether they would use a special administration process. Cat Hobbs of We Own It urged immediate nationalisation of Thames Water.