Thames Water could tap Labour peer as chair if rescue deal goes ahead

Thames Water will appoint a Labour peer to become its new chair if a rescue deal goes ahead, a group of its creditors has said, as the embattled utility fights to stave off nationalisation. London Valley Water, a consortium of investors and creditors to Thames Water which has submitted turnaround plans to keep the firm in private hands, has selected Lord John Hutton as the independent chair designate for a new proposed board if the plans go ahead. Hutton was MP for Barrow and Furness from 1992 to 2010, during which time he served as work and pensions secretary under Blair and business secretary under Brown. “People living in London and the Thames Valley have the right to expect the highest possible standards of customer service and proper environmental stewardship from their water company, and that will be our focus as we look to the future,” Lord Hutton said. Burnham seeks ‘radical options’ for Thames Water The move by London Valley Water comes amid reports Andy Bur