𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Hardworking families are paying higher taxes and higher bills thanks to Labour’s flawed policies and mismanagement of our economy. So it’s especially unwelcome news that water bills are set to go up again across large swathes of the country. It’s especially tough in these drought conditions when many households are facing unacceptable critical water outages and many parts of the country face hosepipe bans. Now households are hearing their charges are going to rise.

A hike of a staggering 36 per cent has already been green lit for 2025-2030 by the water regulator. And now there is more to come. Andy Burnham has complained about the situation saying he is “angry” and customers “cannot be treated as a blank cheque.” But so far he hasn’t actually done anything. Andy Burnham is not a commentator now, he is the Prime Minister.

It is particularly alarming that Thames Water – Britain’s biggest water supplier, laden with £20 billion of debt, is getting approval to put prices up further.

It is widely known that Andy Burnham favours nationalisation as a solution for Britain’s water system. But nationalising water companies would cost the taxpayer billions and would also mean even higher water prices – or yet more tax rises – for families.

Meanwhile, in the last week in my constituency of Epping Forest, thousands of homes have been without water for days due to burst pipes and failing infrastructure. Homes without water, people not being able to flush their toilets or bathe, parents not having water to make up bottles for their babies, livestock owners panicking over getting water to their animals. Thames Water have not provided enough emergency water collection points and vulnerable people are distressed.

Ofwat cannot keep approving big price rises forever. There needs to be a genuine long-term plan for how to deliver better, more reliable water supplies at prices that families can afford.

Labour have not produced that, and if they go down the nationalisation route, they will fail.

A well-functioning, properly-regulated water system out of public ownership is achievable if there is the political will to make it happen. Water Companies must not be able to rack up huge debts. We Conservatives tabled amendments to the Water Special Measures Act to stop water companies doing this, but Labour voted against these measures.

We began the crucial reform to ensure that in the long-term Britain’s water system is clean and sustainable. And it requires billions of pounds of private of investment if billpayers are to be protected. Labour should focus on delivering that, rather than flirting with ideological projects like nationalisation that would deliver more expensive outcomes for families.