The gotcha ninjas over at ITV News thought they had the perfect trap for the Tory leader at conference by asking: was privatising water one of Margaret Thatcher’s biggest mistakes? “Privatisation was a success,” came the reply, which is even more robust than simply opposing nationalisation. The Tories under Kemi are looking more solid on state-ownership… Throughout the 1980s, when the Treasury held water investment below £2 billion a year, the result was polluted beaches, filthy rivers, and Britain crowned the “dirty man of Europe”. This year, according to Water UK, private companies plan to spend £20 billion – a marked increase on the 1980s cap, even after inflation is taken into account. Leakage is also down around 43% since 1989. More investment is needed, but the chances of it happening under state-control are nil…
Kemi Badenoch at the 1922-ConHome bash last night:
“I did praise [Burnham] for his stamina, it was amazing. All I had to do was sit back and lie there. I didn’t have to do anything at all…”