Cunliffe report: "Wild West" of water companies must come to an end

21 Jul 2025

For Immediate Release

Responding to Sir Jon Cunliffe’s report into the water industry including the call to scrap Ofwat, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron said:

“This is a big win for the Liberal Democrats who have led the campaign against the sewage scandal for years. Since 2022 we have called for Ofwat to be replaced with a tougher regulator, now finally the government appears to have listened.

“There's no doubt these major reforms would not be happening if it wasn't for our record general election win and the millions who voted for us last year.

“We will now be studying this report in detail and holding the government’s feet to the fire to ensure these promises are delivered on. The wild west of water companies paying out huge bonuses while ruining rivers with filthy sewage must finally be brought to an end.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The Liberal Democrats first called for Ofwat to be scrapped in 2022

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/06/ofwat-attacks-water-firms-lack-of-investment-to-cut-sewage-discharges 

The Liberal Democrat 2024 General Election manifesto called for "replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumping" https://www.libdems.org.uk/fileadmin/groups/2_Federal_Party/Documents/PolicyPapers/Manifesto_2024/For_a_Fair_Deal_-_Liberal_Democrat_Manifesto_2024.pdf 

 


 

 

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