Mr James Frith

Mr James Frith

Labour — Bury North

Speaking in the House of Commons on 28 March 2025

Debate

Water Bill

Contribution

I would not suggest that either the right hon. Gentleman or I should be in charge of the water in my constituency. We need severe and automatic fines for illegal sewage discharges. There has been real-time monitoring by campaigners, as well as formal observations—I have referred to yesterday’s updates. We need criminal charges for water company executives who have overseen law breaking, and stricter environmental and consumer standards. None of this should divide us, but our focus should be the ends, not the means. To bring failing companies to heel requires a degree of imagination, and we need to put public service first. To simply say that we should have public ownership of everything, without asking who pays and who takes the debt thereafter, does not require imagination. It is a failure to answer the challenge and the question.

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