Reform UK has accused the Government of taking a “spineless” approach to the crisis facing the country’s rivers and coastline after Environment Secretary Steve Reed launched a blistering attack on Nigel Farage’s plan to part-nationalise water companies. Mr Reed claimed this would lead to “dirtier waterways and higher bills” and the “British public would be left to pick up the tab for his half-baked ideas”.
Reform’s manifesto pledged “50% of each utility” would be brought into public ownership. Last month Mr Farage compared the plans to a “public private partnership” with the goal of bringing in “new people” and unlocking investment. The Reform leader said the cost of securing the stake could be “lot less” than the £50billion which has been suggested for 50% ownership.
The Environment Secretary launched a full-throttle attack on the plans for fixing a “broken” water industry, saying: “What’s really needed to get a grip on the water companies is tougher rules and the teeth to enforce them. Reform’s plan will see years and years of costly legal wrangling over ownership during which time investment in fixing broken sewage pipes would stop – leading to dirtier rivers with more raw sewage than ever.
“Working families can’t afford an unfunded, uncosted Reform experiment with their money.”
A Reform spokesman shot back: “This country needs a Government with a backbone, not this spineless Labour party who are petrified of taking on the water companies and fixing the industry. The water industry needs a serious upgrade.
“By striking a deal with the private sector that is in the interests of taxpayers, a Reform UK government would keep the costs of public ownership down and drive investment in our waterways.”
Mr Reed defended the Government’s record on the water industry, saying: “We are already holding water company bosses to account for their failings. We have blocked unfair multi-million pound bonuses for water executives and passed new laws so bosses can face up to two years in prison for sewage offences.
“A record 81 criminal investigations into water companies have been launched in England since the election – the biggest criminal action against water companies in history. We are repairing our broken water pipes with the biggest investment in the water sector’s history – funded by the private sector rather than tax payers.
“This will cut sewage pollution in half by 2030 as a major staging post towards cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”
Describing the scale of the damage to the nation’s waters, Mr Reed said: “The British public have paid a heavy price for water companies’ failures with rising household bills and record levels of sewage poisoning our rivers, lakes and seas.”
Mr Farage last month told the BBC the situation was a “hell of a mess”, claiming “an increase of the population by 10 million has left us completely incapable of coping”.
He said the “one thing we must not do is bail out any existing bond holders or shareholders, adding: “That absolutely has to be part of the deal, they have to go bust.”
