Tony Roberts

Oh what have we become. Apparently now so bereft of ideas and grappling childlike with how to deal with the water industry, in a speech later today govt will yet again make another attempt to claim responsibility for policies and ideas that were actually developed and launched under previous Tory administrations. Examples. 1. "Record investment: with £104 billion." Had nothing whatsoever to do with this govt, it's the result of work started in Oct 2022, 2.5 years before the 2025 election. 👇 2. "Ringfence customers' bills for upgrades." Once again work which had been completed early 2024, before the election. Ofwat were due to make the announcement but were prevented from doing so because of purdah rules. 👇 3. "Reinvesting company fines into local projects:" Policy was actually announced by Tory govt on 9th April 2024, 3 months before the election. 👇 4. "The Water (Special Measures) Act: banned unfair bonuses." The industry dealt with that idea with a rather contemptuous display of arrogance last Thursday. Southern Water is one of the 10 companies 'banned' from paying bonuses. What did the company do, why doubled the CEO's salary instead that's what. Oddly govt were warned that's exactly what was going to happen by none other than the chairman of Thames Water. In fact the same TW that discussed, at a board meeting, how to get round the ban and then promptly paid managers £2.5 million in bonuses. 👇 Apart from destroying your credibility in a heartbeat by trying to claim responsibility for other people's work what leaves me totally baffled by all of this is that No10 signed off and approved it all. Or did they? Either way, mind blown.