Britain’s water watchdog is to be put down
An overdue overhaul of an unloved industry
THIS IS, DECLARED Sir Jon Cunliffe, a modern “Great Stink moment”. In July 1858 the stench of untreated waste, wafting into Parliament from the banks of the Thames, at last became too much for MPs. They soon approved Joseph Bazalgette’s plan for new sewers for London. In 2025, said Sir Jon on July 21st, presenting a 464-page report on the structure and oversight of the water industry in England and Wales, another clean-up is due, again with “direction from the very top”.
Explore more
Looking to stash a few million away? Try a British military base
Really out-of-the-way places can slip through the financial-reporting cracks
How to solve the backlog in England’s courts
Start with a proper look at what caused the problem
Britain and Germany sign a historic treaty
The two countries hope it will alleviate a set of mutual ailments
Britain’s bankrupt universities are hunting for cheaper models
They have failed to focus on efficiency for the mass market
Operation Rubific, the portrait of failure
A rotten episode over Afghan refugees implicates much of the British state
Blighty newsletter: Rachel Reeves’s big night out
Patrick Lane, our senior digital editor, on the finance minister’s speech at Mansion House