Burnham says water central to U.K. plan for public control

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the water industry “stands as a leaking monument” to what he sees as the failure of decades of privatization in Britain, signaling he’s open to nationalizing the industry. Speaking during his first House of Commons appearance since taking power, Burnham said the water industry in England “allows wealth to be extracted and siphoned out” and represented “a country run in the private rather than the public interest.” While Burnham didn’t mention Thames Water, which serves London and much of the surrounding region, the troubled company is seen as the government’s leading target for more direct control.