Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, answers a question from Conservative shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins on Thames Water in the House of Commons.Ms Atkins told the Commons: 'Now 16 million residents and billpayers will be concerned at the news this morning that private equity firm KKR have pulled out of their rescue deal with Thames Water.'According to a source close to KKR, one of the reasons they pulled out was because they were concerned ab

Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, answers a question from Conservative shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins on Thames Water in the House of Commons.Ms Atkins told the Commons: 'Now 16 million residents and billpayers will be concerned at the news this morning that private equity firm KKR have pulled out of their rescue deal with Thames Water.'According to a source close to KKR, one of the reasons they pulled out was because they were concerned about negative rhetoric directed at Thames Water and the rest of the industry in recent weeks by the Secretary of State (Steve Reed) and other ministers; in other words, the Secretary of State and his ministers have talked themselves out of this rescue deal.'