The co-deputy leader of the Green Party has branded the water system in England and Wales an "unmitigated disaster," renewing demands for the sector to be brought entirely under public control.
In a sharp critique of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Rachel Millward dismissed the government's current proposals as "vague." Burnham’s strategy focuses on expanding mayoral oversight and lifting restrictions on the government's ability to hold shares in water companies. However, Millward insists this approach falls severely short after decades of "radical underinvestment."
The renewed push for nationalisation arrives as the UK government weighs the fate of Thames Water, a major utility currently buckling under a severe financial crisis.
The debate over how to fund a public takeover remains heavily contentious. During its 2024 manifesto rollout, the Green Party claimed it could nationalise both the water industry and the UK's top five retail energy companies for £30 billion over a single parliamentary term. In stark contrast, government projections from last year estimated the cost of nationalising just the water sector at a staggering £100 billion. Millward is slated to outline her party's exact funding mechanisms during the Green Party conference in Brighton this weekend.
Beyond environmental policy, Millward used a recent local radio tour to champion the Greens' broader political momentum. Under the leadership of Zack Polanski, the party's brand of "eco-populism" has increasingly challenged the Labour Party from the left. Millward boldly claimed that the growing popularity of the Greens was a direct catalyst for former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer being ousted by his own MPs. She also suggested that Burnham’s Labour government has been forced to adopt Green-friendly rhetoric, shifting its stance on issues like wealth taxes and rent controls to keep pace.
However, the media tour was not without its missteps. While fielding regional questions on BBC Radio WM, Millward was grilled about unresolved bin strikes in Birmingham, where the Greens participate in a minority coalition council. She was forced to issue several apologies, admitting the local issue was entirely missing from her briefing notes and that she lacked the information to provide an answer.
Despite the regional stumble, the Green Party continues to project confidence on the national stage. Boasting hundreds of local councillors and five MPs, the party is now looking to further expand its parliamentary footprint as Polanski campaigns in the imminent Holborn and St Pancras by-election.