Andy Burnham has told Mirror readers he will tear down Margaret Thatcher's legacy and put Britain back in control of the basics, announcing new laws to take back control of water.
Writing exclusively for The Mirror, the Prime Minister said he will build a country run in the public interest with power in every postcode, beginning with what matters most. He promised to repeal what he called the former prime minister's 'ideological' ban on the public ownership of water companies.
Water 'a national scandal'
Burnham described Britain's water industry as a leaking monument to everything that went wrong with privatisation. He said people lost control of their bills and Britain lost control of one of the essentials in life.
He pointed to the state of water in England, with private monopolies loaded with debt, paying out billions in dividends and failing to invest. Meanwhile, he said, bills go up, pipes leak and rivers and seas have been turned into open sewers.
"For me, nothing shows more clearly what has gone wrong in our country than water. It is failing households. It is failing businesses. The whole thing stinks. And I will not tolerate any longer a system where the public always loses," he wrote.
New laws to take back control
Speaking at Labour Party conference, the PM announced new laws that will allow the government to take back control of water and put it in the hands of the British people. Mayors will be able to hold water companies to account, greedy bonuses will be stopped, loopholes used to get round the rules will be shut, and companies that do not get their act together will face tougher consequences for failure.
"Thatcher banned the government from owning water companies. I will tear down that barrier," he said. Under the new settlement, where private companies serve the public interest, the government will work with them. Where they do not, it will take greater public control.
Burnham said that means hope that bills can be affordable, that investment in infrastructure can rise, and that children can swim in rivers and seas that are clean. "That is a Britain back in control of the basics," he added.
Power in every postcode
After a decade of drift and division, the PM set out a clear path for Britain: a country run in the public interest with power in every postcode. Water, housing, energy and transport are the essentials of everyday life and the everyday economy. "We rely on them. We pay for them. And we should have more power over them. This is how we give Britain hope again," he wrote.
