{
  "id": 10540790,
  "title": "Burnham to pledge greater control of water and energy industries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/burnham-to-pledge-greater-control-of-water-and-energy-industries",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-28T21:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/burnham-to-pledge-greater-control-of-water-and-energy-industries/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Andy Burnham, the former Manchester mayor and incoming Prime Minister, will reaffirm his commitment to gaining greater public control over the water, energy, and transport sectors during his first address to Labour's conference. His speech will assert that Britain is \"run for vested interests\" and calls for politicians to assume more control over essential services to \"make [the country] more functional again.\" The Labour leader anticipates proposing a series of policies and commitments aimed at regaining hope for the nation, according to a statement released prior to his speech.\n\nWhile Burnham has previously advocated for increased public oversight of the water and energy industries, he has not explicitly stated whether this would entail converting private companies into public ownership. Efforts to place Thames Water, a utility company grappling with a £20 billion debt, into a special administrative regime (SAR) have been unsuccessful. Such a move would entail a potential taxpayer burden exceeding £4 billion, according to a report from Teneo, a firm representing the company's creditors.\n\nThe announcement of increased public control over industry comes as Chancellor John Healey warns on Monday that the financial resources of New Labour, led by Tony Blair, are no longer available. Since assuming office in July, the government has grappled with mounting economic challenges, stemming from geopolitical tensions and concerns over the sustainability of Britain's finances. As borrowing costs have surged to 19-year highs, the government faces mounting pressure to address its fiscal predicament.\n\nThroughout his speech, Burnham is expected to echo his July address, in which he criticized the neoliberal policies that have dominated politics since the 1980s. He is also projected to unveil plans aimed at addressing social care and youth unemployment. Over the weekend, the Prime Minister hinted at the possibility of raising additional taxes to fund his initiatives. Burnham will stress the importance of honesty and transparency, asserting that \"hope comes from honesty and from saying the things politicians usually avoid.\"\n\nHowever, Kevin Hollinrake, chairman of the Conservative Party, has criticized Burnham's planned remarks, arguing that \"hope is not a strategy.\" Hollinrake contends that if Burnham genuinely desires to be honest with British voters, he must acknowledge that Labour's tax hikes have \"crushed businesses, killed jobs, and hammered family finances,\" all in the name of providing more welfare benefits. Hollinrake contends that Burnham's failure to take decisive action on the welfare bill and address national interests will demonstrate that Labour is nothing more than a \"welfare party.\"",
  "summary": "Andy Burnham will double down on plans to seize greater public control of the water, energy and transport industries tomorrow as he pledges to “break with the flawed thinking of the past 40 years”. In his first speech to Labour’s conference as Prime Minister, Burnham is expected to say Britain is currently “run for vested [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}