Burnham vows tighter public control of water, energy and transport at Labour conference

At the Labour party conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to double down on his long-standing call for expanded public control of key utilities, including water, energy and transport. He will accuse one outlet system of serving vested interests and claim that greater state oversight is essential to make Britain functional again. The speech is expected to detail a bundle of policies aimed at curbing the £20 billion debt burden of Thames Water, with the possibility of placing the company into a special administration regime that could impose a taxpayer bill exceeding £4 billion.

Burnham will also outline initiatives targeting social care reform and youth unemployment, and has floated the idea of additional taxes to finance these plans. The proposals have drawn sharp criticism from Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake, who says Labour’s tax hikes are already damaging businesses, jobs and family finances. The announcement comes amid rising borrowing costs and a deteriorating economic outlook since the government took office in July.