Water system a 'disaster', Green deputy leader says

Green Party co-deputy leader Rachel Millward has said her party would nationalise water companies in England and Wales, criticising Prime Minister Andy Burnham's plans to bring them under public control as "vague".

Millward told the BBC the country's water system was an "absolutely unmitigated disaster", arguing there had been "radical underinvestment" over decades.

She said Burnham's plan, which involves removing limits on government ownership of shares in water companies and giving mayors more powers to scrutinise them, did not go far enough.

The Green Party of England and Wales has long called for public ownership of water companies, describing privatisation as a failed experiment.

In its 2024 manifesto, the party estimated that nationalising water companies and the five biggest retail energy firms would cost £30bn over the five years of a parliament.

Last year, the government estimated , external that nationalising the water industry would cost approximately £100bn.

Millward is expected to make a speech about the party's latest policy on nationalising water companies - and how to pay for it - at the Green Party conference in Brighton this weekend.

It comes as the government considers the option of nationalising Thames Water, which is facing a severe financial crisis.