UK Politics · 24 July 2026
Thatcher's Playbook, Run In Reverse
Invert the 1980s and you get this morning's politics. Thatcher made selling state utilities her defining project. Burnham, who wants "greater public control" of water and energy, is weighing whether taking one back, Thames Water with its £20bn debts and 16 million customers, becomes his. One analysis argues nationalisation would be hard and legally contested, yet potentially a vote winner.
Reported by The National · How we write briefs