One of Labour’s biggest donors has urged Keir Starmer to endorseGreen energy tycoon Dale Vince called on the party to back the “simple, strong” blueprint for rescuing Britain’s waterways and stop them from “being polluted for the sake of money”.
#2. SEWAGE: Sewage spills will not damage high-priority areas – including bathing spots and nature sites – by 2030Bathing waters and nature sites are being destroyed by sewage spills, but water companies will not be required to clean up all these spaces until 2045.Untreated sewage will not cause damage to high-priority sites by 2030. Water companies who fail to meet this target will be prosecuted. Nature-based solutions will be used to clean up sewage wherever possible.
“I don’t see why it shouldn’t, because it is a simple, strong manifesto that we need,” he said. “Post the election, I’m hoping that we’ll see Labour clamp down on the water companies. He added: “We will give the regulator tough new powers to make law-breaking water bosses face criminal charges and ban the payment of their multi-million pound bonuses until they clean up their toxic filth.”
When Starmer ran for the Labour leadership, he pledged to bring public services, including water into “common ownership”, but has subsequently said a Labour government will not renationalise water companies.“It’s not just about the fact that we can’t swim and wildlife can’t thrive in them. Rivers are an important part of the ecology of our country and they’re being polluted just for the sake of money,” he said.