Norfolk MP Watch

Trump. Climate Breakdown. Environmental Crises. The world is changing, but we’re still playing by an old set of rules that sacrifices the poorest but spares the wealthiest to fund the essential functions of the state.

II was on BBC News at Ten and said Anneliese Dodds’s resignation again showed that cutting foreign aid goes against the very core of what a Labour government is elected to do.

At least we can all be clear what we’re up against now.

Anglian Water and two other water companies are asking the U.K. competition regulator, known as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), for permission to increase customer bills even more than previously allowed. Currently, a decision by Ofwat, the water regulator, permits a 29% increase in bills, raising them to £631 over the next five years. However, Anglian Water wants to change that and is requesting the CMA to support its initial plan, which would raise bills by 32%, bringing them up to £649 by 2030. Anglian Water has had 65 serious pollution incidents in 5 years - the 2nd worst record after Thames Water - and a £38.1m refund ordered for poor performance. Anglian says it wants to bust OFWAT's price cap to invest in its water and sewerage infrastructure. We've already paid these privatised water companies to maintain and invest in the water network properly. Since privatisation, shareholders have invested nothing in assets in real terms. The public realm paid for it. Instead of maintaining the infrastructure they inherited, companies have racked up £60bn of debt and paid out £85bn to shareholders. The CMA should send Anglian Water away with a flea in their ear.  Water is a fundamental human right. It shouldn't be exploited for profit. It belongs to all of us. That's one of the many reasons my private members 'Water Bill' will ensure the public has the final say over managing our water." Link to article in first comment.