We cannot just rely on Thames Water to get itself out of this mess

Both Thames Water and Ofwat tell us that Thames can get itself out of the mess it is in. But a lot of what we have been told by the company has been wrong: they told us that their shareholders would inject more capital, and at the Select Committee in 2023 they didn’t know the quantum of their own debt, or its terms – staggering for a company in financial trouble.

Thames Water has £17bn of debt, and needs a major equity injection (thought to be between £3-5bn) or it will run out of cash at some point next year. It is politically untenable to allow the water and sewage system for a large part of the country to fail, so in the end the company knows that government has to bear the risk of stepping in. Given the ratings downgrade of Thames Water in July, this could be months earlier than the May 2025 date the company has publicly stated. If a guarantee is to be avoided, Thames, Ofwat and Defra need to change the way they are doing things.

Read the full piece published in The House on the 6th of August 2024 here.

We cannot forget the crumbling concrete in our schools, homes and hospitals

On 19 July 2024 Barry called on the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden to extend his talk of resilience to the RAAC scandal, where buildings faced potential collapse due to crumbling concrete.

Pat McFadden reassured Barry that, whilst this issue ahs dropped down on the news agenda somwhat, it has not been forgotten by this new Labour Government.

What are the government doing to pressure the Israeli government on human rights?

On 19 July 2024 Barry welcomed the government’s reinstatement of funding for aid organisation UNWRA.

Barry reaffirmed his belief in the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, whilst also callingon the recently appointed Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, to outline what leverage he will use to push the Israeli government to end the violence.

A King’s Speech that will actually make a difference — in a good way — at last

On 17 of July 2024 Barry appeared on Sky News to discuss the King’s Speech, in Barry’s words a speech that “will actually make a difference… at last.”

Barry particularly celebrated the announcement of the end of fire and rehire and the introduction of a draft bill to end leasehold.

Labour are about to revolutionise workers’ rights

Barry has been fighting against the "fire and rehire" process for years.

On Wednesday, this will become a reality. It will put an end to companies like P&O ferries, who unceremoniously sacked all of their workers, replacing them with staff on less than £5 an hour.

Labour will commit in our King's speech to banning the practice, within their first 100 days in office.

The UK must defend the independence of the International Criminal Court investigations

On the 22nd of May 2024 Barry aigned a joint letter to the foreign secratary calling the Government to condemn any threats and attempts to undermine the independence and impartiality of the International Criminal Court in its investigations into crimes in Gaza.

This comes after the ICC prosecutor announced that it is seeking arrest warrants for Isralie leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.

Water companies must not be rewarded for their systematic mismanagement

On the 22nd of May 2024 a letter which Barry signed alongside 4o of his colleagues was published. The open letter addressed to Ofwat concerns the proposed 40% increase in water bills despite their catastrophic failure in service.

The public are angry about shrinkflation - why won't the government do anything about it?

Shrinkflation, also known as package downsizing or weight-out, is the process of items shrinking in size or quantity while the prices remain the same, or in some cases even increase.

A survey by Which found that 77% of the British public aren’t happy about it. they dislike the sneaky tactics by which to increase their costs.

On the 21st of May 2024, Barry asked the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries Mark Spencer MP, why he and his government weren’t doing anything about it.

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The government's housing targets simply aren't enough to fight the rental crisis

On the 15th of May 2024 Barry appeared on BBC Politics Live to discuss the government’s plans to release prisoners early, the UK’s spiralling rental crisis as well as sex education in schools.

In the first clip below, Barry spoke about the mental health crisis in our criminal justice system. He spoke about how the man who threatened to murder him was in prison for 18 months before the trial. Once the trial commenced it was quickly determined that he had serious mental health problems and should not be confined in prison.

Later on Barry laid out how Brent has exceeded its house building target, whilst the government’s is simply not cutting it.

Watch the full show here:

Barry gets Tory MP to admit that if a Rafah Offensive goes ahead, the UK must stop arms sales to Israel

On 5 May 2024 Barry was on the Times Radio MPs panel with Carole Walker to discuss the local election results and impending Rafah ground offensive.

Barry was on the panel with Richard Graham, Conservative MP for Gloucester, Sarah Olney, Lib Dem MP Richmond Park and Sienna Rodgers, Senior Writer, The House Magazine

When discussing arms sales to Israel, when pressured by Barry, Tory MP Richard Graham admitted that the UK may have to change its approach in the wake of the Rafah offensive, as humanitarian concerns worsen.

Watch here:

The full 45 minute panel can be watched here: