Andy Burnham, speaking in the Commons for the first time as Prime Minister, admitted that reversing the 1989 privatisation of England's water companies would be "very difficult" as his government considers "all possible solutions" for the troubled sector. He pledged to secure "stronger public control" over essential services such as water, arguing the industry has become "a leaking monument" to a failed policy of privatisation, and blamed sewage discharges and inadequate reservoir capacity for damaging tourism and disrupting supplies.

His comments came as the UK experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1884, with drought declared across most of England and all of Wales, hosepipe bans affecting around 30 million people, and reservoir storage averaging below 60%. Pollution warnings were also issued at several beaches, including Wells-next-the-Sea, Hastings, Weston-super-Mare and Blackpool. Under the previous government, nationalising the water industry was estimated to cost roughly £100 billion, and Burnham stopped short of committing to all 88 recommendations of Sir Jon Cunliffe's Independent Water Commission report when pressed by Conservative MP Alison Griffiths.