Burnham mulls insolvency law shake-up to help bring utilities under public control

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Changes could trigger a legal challenge from creditors to Thames Water, who have promised to fight any attempt to change insolvency laws. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Changes could trigger a legal challenge from creditors to Thames Water, who have promised to fight any attempt to change insolvency laws. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Thames Water Burnham mulls insolvency law shake-up to help bring utilities under public control Exclusive: Rules on special administration seen as potential ‘roadblock’ to reshaping how UK’s essential services are run

Prefer the Guardian on Google Andy Burnham is considering ripping up the country’s insolvency laws to make it easier to bring key utilities such as Thames Water under public control.

Sources have told the Guardian the prime minister is considering a range of options as he seeks ways of delivering on his promise to radically reshape the way England’s water and Britain’s energy companies are run.

One possibility, according to those briefed on his thinking, is to change the so-called special administration regime (SAR) to make it easier to put companies such as Thames Water into insolvency proceedings, and then take control of them afterwards.

The move could pave the way for what Burnham has promised will be a 10-year project to take public control of utilities, but could trigger a legal challenge from creditors to Thames Water, who have promised to fight any attempt to change insolvency laws.