UK Water Companies: Chinese Financial Influence

Lord John of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 15th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord John of Southwark (Lab)]

My Lords, it has been notable, since he took office, how clear the Prime Minister has been in his commitment to reforming the water sector, which he described as “a leaking monument” to a system that prioritises private companies over the public interest. When might we expect to see real change come forward to make this sector work for people and places again?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We made some changes very quickly as soon as we came into government with the Water (Special Measures) Act, which I know this House welcomed. As I mentioned, the White Paper has been published. We are working on the Bill that we will be bringing forward, and we will want to make the changes as quickly as possible. As my noble friend points out, this is a prime ministerial and government priority.

Summer Drought: Future Supply Disruption

Lord John of Southwark Excerpts

Thursday 3rd September 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord John of Southwark]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what lessons they have learned from this summer’s drought; and what plans they have to ensure that water companies minimise future supply disruption.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Baroness Hayman of Ullock) (Lab)]

My Lords, this year’s drought follows exceptionally dry weather, record-breaking heatwaves and sustained high demand for water. Climate change presents increased risk of more frequent dry summers, and we take drought preparedness very seriously. In response, we have increased engagement with the water sector and key stakeholders, including through hosting more frequent National Drought Group meetings. Our response to the Environment and Climate Change Committee’s drought preparedness inquiry also demonstrates our commitment to improving drought preparedness for the country.

[Lord John of Southwark (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for her Answer. She referred to this summer’s drought, but that followed a particularly wet winter, with southern England seeing 58% more rain than usual. Despite that, most regions have still faced hosepipe bans and other significant restrictions this summer. It is clear that we have insufficient reservoir capacity. What can the Government and water companies do to ensure that we build the necessary additional reservoir capacity now and not at some point in the distant future?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I am sure noble Lords are aware that the Government have pledged to build nine new large reservoirs to ensure sufficient water supply for the future. At the same time, we need to protect and enhance the environment and we are looking at how best to do that. We changed some of the planning rules to enable this to happen more quickly. At the moment, we are looking at how we co-ordinate the delivery programme. We have the Water Delivery Taskforce, which is bringing together officials from Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural England and other government departments as necessary to make sure that we have a good, co-ordinated delivery plan. The current timelines are that the reservoirs would come into service from 2035 and in 2031 Havant Thicket would become the first large water supply reservoir completed in 30 years.